DEC  1 1  1917  ^ 


a*,,i*»>sg 


■ 


H 


0  '   I 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MORMONS; 


0B*  U 1917 

LATTER-DAY  SAINTS, 


WITH    MEMOIRS    OF 


THE  LIFE  AND  DEATH  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH, 
THE  "AMERICAN  MAHOMET." 


K.CKA/ 

7 


AUBURN: 
DERBY    AND    MILLER. 

1852. 


PEEFACE. 

In  the  summer  of  the  year  1850,  during  the  course  of  an 
inquiry  in  which  he  was  engaged  on  the  subject  of  "  Labor 
and  the  Poor,"  the  author  of  this  volume  had  occasion  to 
direct  his  particular  attention  to  the  amount  of  Emigration 
from  the  port  of  Liverpool.  While  pursuing  his  researches, 
he  learned  that,  independently  of  the  general  emigration  of 
English  and  Irish,  amounting,  during  the  fine  season,  to  nearly 
20,000  persons  per  month,  there  was  a  peculiar,  but  smaller 
stream  of  emigration,  carried  on  in  behalf  of  the  religious 
sect,  known  by  the  name  of  the  " Mormons,"  or  "Latter- 
Day  Saints."  He  was  informed  that  many  y^ars  ago  these 
people  had  established  an  Emigrational  Agency  in  Liver- 
pool, having  ramifications  in  all  parts  of  England,  Wales,  and 
Scotland,  and  that  the  number  of  Mormon  emigrants  sailing 
from  that  port  to  New  Orleans,  on  their  way  to  the  Great 
Salt  Lake  Valley,  in  California,  during  the  year  1849,  had 
been  no  less  than  2,500,  chiefly  consisting  of  farmers  and 
mechanics  of  a  superior  class,  from  Wales,  Lancashire,  York- 
shire, Staffordshire,  and  the  southern  counties  of  Scotland  ; 
and  that  since  1840  the  total  emigration  of  the  sect  from 
Great  Britain  had  amounted  to  between  13,000  and  14,000 
persons.  He  was  led,  in  consequence,  to  devote  his  attention 
to  the  history  of  the  origin  and  progress  of  this  singular  sect, 
of  which  comparatively  little  was  known.     The  results  of  his 


IV  PREFACE. 

investigations  were  published  in  the  Morning  Chronicle  a 
short  time  afterwards,  in  three  letters  of  the  well-known  series 
undertaken  by  that  Journal.  The  subject,  however,  was  too 
interesting,  important,  and  extensive  to  be  thoroughly  handled 
in  the  limited  space  at  the  disposal  of  a  newspaper,  and  the 
writer  was,  in  consequence,  induced — having  received,  in  the 
meantime,  a  large  accession  of  new,  valuable,  and  authentic 
materials — to  extend  these  slight  sketches  into  the  volume 
now  offered  to  the  public.  It  presents  the  history  of  Joseph 
Smith,  a  great  impostor,  or  a  great  visionary, — perhaps  both 
— but  in  either  case  one  of  the  most  remarkable  persons  who 
has  appeared  on  the  stage  of  the  world  in  modern  times.  The 
author  has  endeavored  to  disencumber  the  conflicting  accounts 
of  his  disciples  on  the  one  hand,  and  of  his  enemies  on  the 
other,  of  all  exaggeration  for  him,  or  against  him,  and  to  state 
with  fairness  what  appeared  to  him  to  be  the  truth.  As  far 
as  he  is  aware,  it  is  the  first  time  that  anything  which  can  be 
called  a  history  of  this  new  religion  and  its  founder  has  been 
offered  to  the  public,  either  in  this  country,  or  in  the  cradle 
of  the  Mormons — the  United  States  of  America. 

With  respect  to  the  Illustrations  of  this  Volume,  it  may 
be  stated,  that  embracing,  as  they  do,  views  of  remote  places 
not  hitherto  portrayed,  and  representations  of  events  in  a  wild 
and  very  partially  settled  country,  they  have,  nevertheless, 
been  derived  from  authentic  sources,  having  been  drawn  from 
the  rude  sketches,  or  minute  descriptions,  of  persons  to  whom 
the  spots  were  familiar,  and  who  were,  in  many  cases,  eye-wit- 
nesses of  the  incidents  depicted. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


PAGE 

Birth  and  Parentage  of  Joseph  Smith,  the  Mormon  Prophet — 
His  "  Remarkable  Visions" — His  Consecration  to  the  Priesthood 
— Alleged  Appearance  of  John  the  Baptist  to  Joseph  and  his 
Confederates— The  Golden  Plates  of  the  Hill  of  Cumorah— The 
Book  of  Mormon — The  Mormon  Witnesses  of  its  Authenticity — 
The  Witnesses  who  assert  it  to  be  a  Fraud — Statements  of  Pro- 
fessor Anthon — The  Spaulding  Family — Mrs.  Davison  and  Sid- 
ney Rigdon It 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Book  of  Doctrines  and  Covenants ;  or  the  "  Revelations"  of 
Joseph  Smith — Mormon  Hymns  and  Poems — Materialism — The 
Aaronic  and  Melchizedek  Priesthood — Confession  of  Faith — 
Scenes  in  Leamington  and  Wales 51 


CHAPTER  III. 

First  Persecutions  of  the  Sect — Exploratory  Journey  to  the  Far 
West — Establishment  in  Missouri — The  Prophet  "  Lynched"  by 
the  Populace — Quarrels  with  the  "  Gentiles" — The  New  Zion — 
Persecutions  in  Missouri 67 


Yl  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IF. 


Journey  of  the  Prophet  into  Missouri — The  Lamanite  Skeleton — 
The  Shower  of  Meteors — Final  Removal  of  Joseph  from  Kirt- 
land,  Ohio — Persecutions  in  Missouri — Massacre  at  Haun's  Mill 
— The  Danite  Band — Expulsion  from  Missouri  - 


CHAPTER  V. 

Establishment  of  the  Sect  in  Illinois — Building  of  the  City  and 
Temple  of  Nauvoo — Joseph  a  Lieutenant-General — The  Proph- 
et's Right-hand  Man — The  Mormons  in  England — Prosperity  of 
Nauvoo 128 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Growth  of  Nauvoo — Joseph  Smith  a  Candidate  for  the  Presidency 
of  the  United  States — Correspondence  with  Messrs.  Clay  and 
Calhoun — New  Troubles  and  Persecutions  of  the  Sect — The 
"  Spiritual  Wife"  Doctrine — A  Schism  among  the  Mormons — 
The  "  Nauvoo  Expositor" — Disturbances  in  the  City — "  Abate- 
ment" of  the  Nuisance  of  an  Unfriendly  Newspaper — Legal  Pro- 
ceedings against  the  Prophet — His  Surrender  to  take  his  Trial 
— Murder  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith  by  the  Mob  in  Carthage 
Gaol 161 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Prophet's  Funeral — Addresses  and  Proclamations  to  the  Saints 
— Appointment  of  Brigham  Young  as  Successor  to  Joseph  Smith 
— Trial  and  Expulsion  of  Sidney  Rigdon — Transient  Prosperity 
of  Nauvoo — New  Troubles  and  Localities — Siege  of  Nauvoo — 
Final  Expulsion  of  the  Mormons  from  Illinois   -        -        -        -  184 


CONTENTS.  Vll 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

PAOK 

Departure  of  the  Mormons  for  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley — 
Colonel  Kane's  Description  of  Nauvoo  after  the  Siege — The 
Exodus  of  the  People — Incidents  of  Travel — Arrival  in  Lower 
California— The  Great  Salt  Lake -216 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Brighara  Young's  Address  to  the  Saints  throughout  the  "World—; 
Mission  of  the  Twelve  Apostles — The  Gathering — Utah  Terri- 
tory— Mormonism  in  Great  Britain — Emigration  from  Liver- 
pool— Agriculture  and  the  Arts  in  the  Salt  Lake  Valley — Re- 
ports by  recent  Travellers  of  the  Prosperity  of  the  New  Colony  277 


CHAPTER   X. 

Mormonism :  its  Present  State,  and  Social,  Political,  and  Religious 
Aspect — The  Book  of  Mormon — Ancient  Glyphs — The  Proph- 
ecy of  Isaiah — The  Prophecy  of  Ezekiel — Mormon  Charges 
against  all  Christian  Churches — Orson  Pratt  on  the  Christian 
Ministry — Religious  Aspects  of  Mormonism — The  Book  of  Doc- 
trines and  Covenants — Mormon  Idea  of  "  Faith" — Doctrines  and 
Commandments — Priesthood  and  Office-bearers — Mormon  Ma- 
terialism— Death  of  the  Witnesses — The  Spiritual  Wife  Doc- 
trine— Moral  and  Social  Aspects  of  Mormonism — Opposition 
to  Mormonism — Conclusion 322 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

*AOB 

The  Death  of  Joseph  Smith Frontispiece. 

Smith  Finding  the  Golden  Plates 24 

Joseph  Smith  Preaching  in  the  Wilderness         .        .        .    .      74 

The  Mob  Tarring  Joseph  Smith 79 

Massacre  of  Mormons  at  Haun's  Mill 106 

The  Temple  at  Nauvoo 129 

General  Joseph  Smith  Reviewing  the  Nauvoo  Legion  .  .  149 
Joseph  Smith  Preaching  (from  a  Mormon  Print)  .  .  .  153 
The  Expulsion  of  the  Mormons  from  Nauvoo  .        .        .        .214 

Great  Salt  Lake  City 2*79 

Ceremony  of  Confirmation  (sketched  by  F.  Piercy)  .        .323 

Ceremony  of  Baptism  (sketched  by  F.  Piercy)      .        .        .    .    358 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MORMONS, 


fJHAPTEB   I. 


Birth  and  Parentage  of  Joseph  Smith,  the  Mormon  Prophet 
— His  "Remarkable  Visions" — His  Consecration  to  the 
Priesthood — Alleged  Appearance  of  John  the  Baptist  to 
Joseph  and  his  Confederates — The  Golden  Plates  of  the 
Hill  of  Cumorah — The  Book  of  Mormon — The  Mormon 
"Witnesses  of  its  Authenticity — TnE  Witnesses  wno  assert 
it  to  be  a  Fraud — Statements  of  Professor  Anthon — The 
Spaulding  Family — Mrs.  Dayison  and  Sidney  Rigdon. 

In  the  year  1825  there  lived,  in  a  small  village  in  the 
United  States  of  America,  an  obscure  young  man — of  little  or 
no  education — of  no  fortune,  and  of  but  indifferent  character. 
That  obscure  young  man  had  meditated  for  five  years  before 
this  time  the  establishment  of  a  new  religion.  In  1830,  being 
then  in  the  twenty-fifth  year  of  his  age,  he  began  to  carry  his 
design  into  effect.  In  the  following  year  he  became  the  head 
of  a  sect  numbering  five  persons  ;  amongst  whom  were  in- 
cluded his  father  and  three  brothers.  In  the  course  of  a  few 
weeks,  the  number  of  his  adherents  increased  to  thirty.  At 
the  present  time,  the  sect  so  established  numbers  300,000 
people  ;  has  its  own  Bible,  and  zealous  missionaries  to  preach 
it  in  eveiy  part  of  the  Christian  world  ;  and  besides  this,  in- 
habits and  possesses  a  fertile  and  beautiful  territory  almost  as 
large  as  England,  and  aspires  to  obtain  admission,  on  equal 

2 


18  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

terms,  as  a  free  State,  into  the  great  confederation  of  Ameri- 
can Republics.  The  name  of  this  young  man  was  Joseph 
Smith — of  his  new  Bible,  the  "  Book  of  Mormon" — of  his  sect, 
the  "  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints," — or  in  the 
parlance  of  those  not  members  of  it — The  Mormons,  or  Mor- 
monites  ;  and  of  the  state  or  territory  of  which  they  have 
taken  possession,  Utah  or  Deseret,  in  New  California.  The 
Mormons  have  thriven  amid  oppression  of  the  most  cruel  and 
pertinacious  kind  ;  they  have  conquered  the  most  astonishing 
difficulties ;  they  have  triumphed  over  the  most  vindictive 
enemies,  and  over  the  most  unrelenting  persecution  ;  and 
from  the  blood  of  their  martyrs  have  sprung  the  courage,  the 
zeal,  and  the  success  of  their  survivors.  They  can  boast  not 
only  an  admirable  and  complete  organization,  but  the  posses- 
sion of  worldly  wealth,  influence,  and  power.  Their  progress 
within  the  last  seven  years  has  been  rapid  to  a  degree  un- 
paralleled in  the  history  of  any  other  sect  of  religionists.  The 
remarkable  career  of  Joseph  Smith,  the  Prophet  of  the  Mor- 
mons, and  the  story  of  the  rise  of  the  sect  which  he  founded, 
is  one  of  the  most  curious  episodes  in  the  modern  history  of 
the  world.  To  trace  that  history  with  all  its  fanaticism,  all 
its  zeal,  all  its  genuine  and  sincere  faith,  all  its  folly  and  all 
its  virtue,  and  to  carry  it  through  all  the  touching  scenes  in 
the  varied  and  surprising  fortunes  of  the  people  who  believe 
in  Joseph  Smith  as  the  prophet  of  God,  from  the  day  in  which 
the  doctrine  was  first  broached  amid  the  hatred  and  the  de- 
rision of  a  few,  to  the  present  day,  when  the  sect  is  too  pow- 
erful and  too  sincere  to  be  derided,  is  the  object  of  the  follow- 
ing pages. 

To  avoid  the  appearance  of  unfriendliness  towards  men 
who — whatever  the  character  or  views  of  their  former  leaders 
may  have  been,  or  whatever  may  be  thought  of  their  own  fa- 
naticism— are  carrying  on  a  great  and  remarkable  work,  but 
little  understood,  or  even  heard  of,  in  this  country,  beyond  the 


VISIONS    OF    JOSEPH    SMITH.  19 

limits  of  their  own  body,  we  shall,  whenever  it  is  possible  to 
do  so,  present  their  history  in  the  words  of  their  own  writers, 
appending  such  statements  on  the  other  side  as  may  be  neces- 
sary for  the  exposition  of  the  truth.  The  following  particulars 
of  the  origin  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  of  the  early  life  of  Joseph 
Smith,  and  of  his  first  appearanee  in  the  character  of  a  man 
divinely  inspired — to  be  the  new  Moses,  or  Mahomet  of  his 
generation — are  extracted  from  the  "  Remarkable  Visions," 
of  Mr.  Orson  Pratt.  This  gentleman  was  formerly  their  emi- 
grational  agent  at  Liverpool,  and  styles  himself,  in  the  title- 
page,  "  One  of  the  twelve  Apostles  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  :" — 

"  Mr.  Joseph  Smith,  jun.,"  says  this  friendly  narrator,  "  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Sharon,  Windsor  County,  Vermont,  on 
the  23d  December,  1805.  When  ten  years  old,  his  parents, 
with  their  family,  moved  to  Palmyra,  New  York,  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  which  he  resided  for  about  eleven  years,  the  latter 
part  in  the  town  of  Manchester.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion. His  advantages  for  acquiring  scientific  knowledge  were 
exceedingly  small,  being  limited  to  a  slight  acquaintance  with 
two  or  three  of  the  common  branches  of  learning.  He  could 
read  without  much  difficulty,  and  write  a  very  imperfect 
hand,  and  had  a  very  limited  understanding  of  the  elementary 
rules  of  arithmetic.  These  were  his  highest  and  only  attain- 
ments, while  the  rest  of  those  branches  so  universally  taught 
in  the  common  schools  throughout  the  United  States  were  en- 
tirely unknown  to  him.  When  somewhere  about  fourteen  or 
fifteen  years  old,  he  began  seriously  to  reflect  upon  the  neces- 
sity of  being  prepared  for  a  future  state  of  existence  ;  but 
how,  or  in  what  way  to  prepare  himself,  was  a  question  as 
yet  undetermined  in  his  own  mind.  He  perceived  that  it 
was  a  question  of  infinite  importance,  and  that  the  salvation 
of  his  soul  depended  upon  a  correct  understanding  of  the 
same.     He  retired  to  a  secret  place  in  a  grove,  but  a  short 


20  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

distance  from  his  father's  house,  and  knelt  down  and  began 
to  call  upon  the  Lord.  At  first  he  was  severely  tempted  by 
the  powers  of  darkness,  which  endeavored  to  overcome  him, 
but  he  continued  to  seek  for  deliverance  until  darkness  gave 
way  from  his  mind,  and  he  was  enabled  to  pray  in  fervency 
of  the  spirit,  and  in  faith ;  and  while  thus  pouring  out  his 
soul,  anxiously  desiring  an  answer  from  God,  he  at  length  saw 
a  very  bright  and  glorious  light  in  the  heavens  above,  which 
at  first  seemed  to  be  at  a  considerable  distance.  He  con- 
tinued praying,  while  the  light  appeared  to  be  gradually  de- 
scending towards  him  ;  and  as  it  drew  nearer  it  increased  in 
brightness  and  magnitude,  so  that  by  the  time  it  reached  the 
tops  of  the  trees  the  whole  wilderness  around  was  illuminated 
in  a  most  glorious  and  brilliant  manner.  He  expected  to  see 
the  leaves  and  boughs  of  the  trees  consumed  as  soon  as  the 
light  came  in  contact  with  them  ;  but  perceiving  that  it  did 
not  produce  that  effect,  he  was  encouraged  with  the  hopes  of 
being  able  to  endure  its  presence.  It  continued  descending 
slowly,  until  it  rested  upon  the  earth,  and  he  was  enveloped 
in  the  midst  of  it.  When  it  first  came  upon  him,  it  produced 
a  peculiar  sensation  throughout  his  whole  system ;  and  im- 
mediately his  mind  was  caught  away  from  the  natural  objects 
with  which  he  was  surrounded,  and  he  was  enwrapped  in  a 
heavenly  vision,  and  saw  two  glorious  personages,  who  exact- 
ly resembled  each  other  in  their  features  or  likeness.  He  was 
informed  that  his  sins  were  forgiven.  He  was  also  informed 
upon  the  subjects  which  had  for  some  time  previously  agitated 
his  mind — namely,  that  all  the  religious  denominations  were 
believing  in  incorrect  doctrines,  and  consequently  that  none 
of  them  was  acknowledged  of  God  as  his  church  and  king- 
dom. And  he  was  expressly  commanded  to  go  not  after  them  ; 
and  he  received  a  promise  that  the  true  doctrine,  the  fulness 
of  the  Gospel,  should  at  some  future  time  be  made  known  to 
him.     After  which  the  vision^withdrew,  leaving  his  mind  in 


VISIONS    OF   JOSEPH    SMITH.  21 

a  state  of  calmness  and  peace  indescribable.  Some  time  after 
having1  received  this  glorious  manifestation,  being  young,  he 
•was  again  entangled  in  the  vanities  of  the  world,  of  which  he 
afterwards  sincerely  and  truly  repented. 

"And  it  pleased  God,  on  the  evening  of  the  21st  Septem- 
ber, a.d.  1823,  to  again  hear  his  prayer.  It  seemed  as  though 
the  house  was  filled  with  consuming  fire.  This  sudden  ap- 
pearance of  a  light  so  bright,  as  must  naturally  be  expected, 
occasioned  a  shock  of  sensation  visible  to  the  extremities  of 
the  body.  It  was,  however,  followed  by  calmness  and  sereni- 
ty of  mind,  and  an  overwhelming  rapture  of  joy,  that  sur- 
passed understanding,  and,  in  a  moment,  a  Personage  stood 
before  him. 

"  Notwithstanding  the  brightness  of  the  light  which  pre- 
viously illuminated  the  room,  yet  there  seemed  to  be  an  ad- 
ditional glory  surrounding  or  accompanying  this  Personage, 
which  shone  with  an  increased  degree  of  brilliancy,  of  which 
he  was  in  the  midst,  and  though  his  countenance  was  as 
lightning,  yet  it  was  of  a  pleasing,  innocent,  and  glorious  ap- 
pearance, so  much  so,  that  every  fear  was  banished  from  his 
heart,  and  nothing  but  calmness  pervaded  his  soul. 

"  The  stature  of  this  Personage  was  a  little  above  the  com- 
mon size  of  men  of  his  age  ;  his  garment  was  perfectly  white, 
and  had  the  appearance  of  being  without  seam. 

"This  glorious  being  declared  himself  to  be  an  angel  of 
God,  sent  forth  by  commandment  to  communicate  to  him  that 
his  sins  were  forgiven,  and  that  his  prayers  were  heard  ;  and 
also  to  bring  the  joyful  tidings  that  the  covenant  which  God 
made  with  ancient  Israel  concerning  their  posterity  was  at 
hand  to  be  fulfilled  :  that  the  great  preparatory  work  for  the 
second  coming  of  the  Messiah  was  speedily  to  commence  ; 
that  the  time  was  at  hand  for  the  Gospel,  in  its  fulness,  to  be 
preached  in  power  unto  all  nations,  that  a  people  might  be 


22  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

prepared  with  faith  and  righteousness  for  the  Millennial  reign 
of  universal  peace  and  joy. 

"  He  was  informed  that  he  was  called  and  chosen  to  be  an 
instrument  in  the  hands  of  God,  to  bring  about  some  of  his 
marvellous  purposes  in  this  glorious  dispensation.  It  was 
also  made  manifest  to  him  that  the  '  American  Indians'  were  a 
remnant  of  Israel ;  that  when  they  first  emigrated  to  Ameri- 
ca they  were  an  enlightened  people,  possessing  a  knowledge 
of  the  true  God,  enjoying  his  favor  and  peculiar  blessings  from 
his  hand  ;  that  the  prophets  and  inspired  writers  among  them 
were  required  to  keep  a  sacred  history  of  the  most  important 
events  transpiring  among  them,  which  history  was  handed 
down  for  many  generations,  till  at  length  they  fell  into  great 
wickedness.  The  greatest  part  of  them  were  destroyed,  and 
the  records  were  safely  deposited,  to  preserve  them  from  the 
hands  of  the  wicked,  who  sought  to  destroy  them.  He  was 
informed  that  these  records  contained  many  sacred  revelations 
pertaining  to  the  Gospel  of  the  kingdom,  as  well  as  prophecies 
relating  to  the  great  events  of  the  last  days  ;  and  that  to  ful- 
fil his  promises  to  the  ancients,  who  wrote  the  records,  and  to 
accomplish  his  purposes  in  the  restitution  of  their  children, 
they  were  to  come  forth  to  the  knowledge  of  the  people.  If 
faithful,  he  was  to  be  the  instrument  who  should  be  thus 
highly  favored  in  bringing  these  sacred  writings  before  the 
world.  After  giving  him  many  instructions  concerning  things 
past  and  to  come,  he  disappeared,  and  the  light  and  glory  of 
God  withdrew,  leaving  his  mind  in  perfect  peace,  while  a 
calmness  and  serenity  indescribable  pervaded  his  soul.  But 
before  morning  the  vision  was  twice  renewed,  instructing  him 
further  and  still  further  concerning  the  great  work  of  God 
about  to  be  performed  on  the  earth.  In  the  morning  he  went 
out  to  his  labor  as  usual,  but  soon  the  vision  was  renewed — 
the  angel  again  appeared,  and  having  been  informed,  by  the 
previous  visions  of  the  night,  concerning  the  place  where  those 


HILL    ON   WHICH   THE    PLATES   WERE    FOUND. 


VISIONS    OP    JOSEPH    SMITH.  25 

records  were  deposited,  he  was  instructed  to  go  immediately 
and  view  them. 

"  Accordingly  he  repaired  to  the  place,  a  brief  description 
of  which  shall  be  given  in  the  words  of  a  gentleman  named 
Oliver    Cowdery,  who  has  visited  the  spot : — 

"  '  As  you  pass  on  the  mail-road  from  Palmyra,  Wayne 
county,  to  Canandaigua,  Ontario  county,  New  York,  before 
arriving  at  the  little  village  of  Manchester,  say  from  three  to 
four,  or  about  four  miles  from  Palmyra,  you  pass  a  large  hill 
on  the  east  side  of  the  road. 

"  •'  It  was  at  the  second-mentioned  place  where  the  record 
was  found  to  be  deposited,  on  the  west  side  of  the  hill,  not  far 
from  the  top  down  its  side  ;  and  when  myself  visited  the  spot 
in  the  year  1830,  there  were  several  trees  standing — enough 
to  cause  a  shade  in  summer,  but  not  so  much  as  to  prevent 
the  surface  being  covered  with  grass — which  was  also  the 
case  when  the  record  was  first  found. 

"  '  How  far  below  the  surface  these  records  were  placed  I 
am  unable  to  say,  but  from  the  fact  that  they  had  been  some 
fourteen  hundred  years  buried,  and  that,  too,  on  the  side  of  a 
hill  so  steep,  one  is  ready  to  conclude  that  they  were  some 
feet  below,  as  the  earth  would  naturally  wear,  more  or  less, 
in  that  length  of  time.  But  being  placed  towards  the  top  of 
the  hill,  the  ground  would  not  remove  as  much  as  two  thirds 
perhaps.  Another  circumstance  would  prevent  another  wear- 
ing of  the  earth — in  all  probability,  as  soon  as  timber  had  time 
to  grow,  the  hill  was  covered,  and  the  roots  of  the  same  would 
hold  the  surface. 

"  '  However,  on  this  point  I  shall  leave  every  man  to  draw 
his  own  conclusion,  and  form  his  own  speculation  :  but,  suf- 
fice to  say,  a  hole  of  sufficient  depth  was  dug.  At  the  bottom 
of  this  lay  a  stone  of  suitable  size,  the  upper  surface  being 
smooth.  At  each  edge  was  placed  a  large  quantity  of  cement, 
and  into  this  cement,  at  the  four  edges  of  this  stone  were 


26  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS, 

placed  erect  four  others,  their  bottom  edges  resting  in  the 
cement  at  the  outer  edges  of  the  first  stone.  The  four  last 
named  when  placed  erect,  formed  a  box ;  the  corners,  or 
where  the  edges  of  the  four  came  in  contact,  were  also  ce- 
mented so  firmly  that  the  moisture  from  without  was  prevent- 
ed from  entering.  It  is  to  be  observed  also  that  the  inner 
surfaces  of  the  four  erect  or  side  stones  were  smooth.  This 
box  was  sufficiently  large  to  admit  a  breastplate  such  as  was 
used  by  the  ancients  to  defend  the  chest  from  the  arrows  and 
weapons  of  their  enemy.  From  the  bottom  of  the  box,  or 
from  the  breastplate,  arose  three  small  pillars,  composed  of 
the  same  description  of  cement  used  on  the  edges ;  and  upon 
these  three  pillars  were  placed  the  records.  '  This  box  con- 
taining the  records  was  covered  with  another  stone,  the  bot- 
tom surface  being  flat,  and  the  upper  crowning.' 

"  When  it  was  first  visited  by  Mr.  Smith,  on  the  morning 
of  the  22d  of  September,  1823,  '  a  part  of  the  crowning  stone 
was  visible  above  the  surface,  while  the  edges  were  concealed 
by  the  soil  and  grass.'  From  which  circumstance  it  may  be 
seen  '  that,  however  deep  this  box  might  have  been  placed 
at  first,  the  time  had  been  sufficient  to  wear  the  earth,  so  that 
it  was  easily  discovered,  when  once  directed,  and  yet  not 
enough  to  make  a  perceivable  difference  to  the  passer-by.' 
1  After  arriving  at  the  repository,  a  little  exertion  in  removing 
the  soil  from  the  edges  of  the  top  of  the  box,  and  a  light  lever, 
brought  to  his  natural  vision  its  contents.'  While  viewing 
and  contemplating  this  sacred  treasure,  with  wonder  and  as- 
tonishment— behold  !  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  who  had  previ- 
ously visited  him,  again  stood  in  his  presence,  and  his  soul 
was  again  enlightened  as  it  was  the  evening  before,  and  he 
was  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  heavens  were  opened, 
and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shone  round  about  and  rested  upon 
him.  While  he  thus  stood  gazing  and  admiring  the  angel 
said,  '  Look !'     And,  as  he  thus  spake,  he  beheld  the  Prince 


>^  THE    GOLDEN    PLATES.  27 

of  Darkness,  surrounded  by  his  innumerable  train  of  associates. 
All  this  passed  before  him,  and  the  heavenly  messenger  said, 
1  All  this  is  shown,  the  good  and  the  evil,  the  holy  and  impure, 
the  glory  of  God  and  the  power  of  darkness,  that  you  may 
know  hereafter  the  two  powers,  and  never  be  influenced  or 
overcome  by  the  wicked  one.  You  cannot  at  this  time  obtain 
this  record,  for  the  commandment  of  God  is  strict,  and  if  ever 
these  sacred  things  are  obtained,  they  must  be  by  prayer  and 
faithfulness  in  obeying  the  Lord.  They  are  not  deposited 
here  for  the  sake  of  accumulating  gain  and  wealth  for  the 
glory  of  this  world  ;  they  were  sealed  by  the  prayer  of  faith, 
and  because  of  the  knowledge  which  they  contain ;  they  are 
of  no  worth  among  the  children  of  men  only  for  their  knowl- 
edge. In  them  is  contained  the  fulness  of  the  Gospel  of  Je- 
sus Christ,  as  it  was  given  to  his  people  on  this  land ;  and 
when  it  shall  be  brought  forth  by  the  power  of  God,  it  shall 
be  carried  to  the  Gentiles,  of  whom  many  will  receive  it,  and 
after  will  the  seed  of  Israel  be  brought  into  the  field  of  their 
Redeemer  by  obeying  it  also.' 

"  '  During  the  period  of  the  four  following  years,  he  fre- 
quently received  instruction  from  the  mouth  of  the  heaven- 
ly messenger.  And  on  the  morning  of  the  22d  of  September, 
a.d.  1827,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  delivered  the  records  into 
his  hands. 

"  These  records  were  engraved  on  plates,  which  had  the 
appearance  of  gold.  Each  plate  was  not  far  from  seven  by 
eight  inches  in  width  and  length,  being  not  quite  as  thick  as 
common  tin.  They  were  filled  on  both  sides  with  engravings 
in  Egyptian  characters,  and  bound  together  in  a  volume  a? 
the  leaves  of  a  book,  and  fastened  at  one  edge  with  three 
rings  running  through  the  whole.  This  volume  was  some- 
thing near  six  inches  in  thickness,  a  part  of  which  was  sealed. 
The  characters  or  letters  upon  the  unsealed  part  were  small 
and  beautifully  engraved.     The  whole  book  exhibited  many 


28  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

marks  of  antiquity  in  its  construction,  as  well  as  much  skill 
in  the  art  of  engraving.  With  the  records  was  found  '  a  cu- 
rious instrument,  called  by  the  ancients  the  TJrim  and  Thum- 
mim,  which  consisted  of  two  transparent  stones,  clear  as  crys- 
tal, set  in  the  two  rims  of  a  bow.  This  was  in  use  in  ancient 
times,  by  persons  called  seers.  It  was  an  instrument  by  the 
use  of  which  they  received  revelation  of  things  distant,  or  of 
things  past  or  future.' 

"  Having  provided  himself  with  a  home,  he  commenced 
translating  the  record,  by  the  gift  and  power  of  God,  through 
the  means  of  the  Urim  and  Thummim  ;  and  being  a  poor 
writer,  he  was  under  the  necessity  of  employing  a  scribe  to 
write  the  translation  as  it  came  from  his  mouth. 

"  In  the  meantime,  a  few  of  the  original  characters  were 
accurately  described  and  translated  by  Mr.  Smith,  which, 
with  the  translation,  were  taken  by  a  gentleman,  by  the  name 
of  Martin  Harris,  to  the  city  of  New  York,  where  they  were 
presented  to  a  learned  gentleman  of  the  name  of  Anthon,  who 
professed  to  be  extensively  acquainted  with  many  language?, 
both  ancient  and  modern.  He  examined  them,  but  was  un- 
able to  decipher  them  correctly ;  but  he  presumed  that  if  the 
original  records  could  be  brought,  he  could  assist  in  translat- 
ing them. 

"But  to  return — Mr.  Smith  continued  the  work  of  transla- 
tion, as  his  pecuniary  circumstances  would  permit,  until  he 
finished  the  unsealed  part  of  the  records.  The  part  translated 
is  entitled  the  '  Book  of  Mormon,'  which  contains  nearly  as 
much  reading  as  the  Old  Testament. 

11  After  the  book  was  translated,  the  Lord  raised  up  wit- 
nesses to  the  nations  of  its  truth,  who,  at  the  close  of  the  vol- 
ume, send  forth  their  testimony,  which  reads  as  follows : — 


JOSEPH'S    WITNESSES.  29 


"  '  TESTIMONY  OF  THREE  WITNESSES. 

"  '  Be  it  known  unto  all  nations,  kindreds,  tongues,  and  people, 
unto  whom  this  work  shall  come,  that  we  through  the  Grace  of 
God  the  Father,  and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  have  seen  the  plates 
which  contain  this  record,  which  is  a  record  of  the  people  of  Nephi 
and  also  of  the  Lamanites,  their  brethren,  and  also  of  the  people 
of  Jared,  who  came  from  the  toiver  of  which  hath  been  spoken ; 
and  we  also  know  that  they  have  been  translated  by  the  gift  and 
power  of  God,  for  his  voice  hath  declared  it  unto  us ;  wherefore 
we  know  of  a  surety  that  the  work  is  true,  and  we  also  testify- 
that  we  have  seen  the  engravings  which  are  upon  the  plates ;  and 
they  have  been  shown  unto  us  by  the  power  of  God,  and  not  of 
man.  And  we  declare,  with  words  of  soberness,  that  an  angel 
of  God  came  down  from  heaven,  and  he  brought  and  laid  before 
our  eyes,  that  we  beheld  and  saw  the  plates,  and  the  engravings 
thereon ;  and  we  know  it  is  by  the  grace  of  God  the  Father,  and 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  we  beheld  and  bear  record  that  these 
things  are  true,  and  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes ;  nevertheless,  the 
voice  of  the  Lord  commanded  us  that  we  should  bear  record  of 
it ;  wherefore,  to  be  obedient  unto  the  commandments  of  God, 
we  bear  testimony  of  these  things.  And  we  know  that  if  we  are 
faithful  in  Christ  we  shall  rid  our  garments  of  the  blood  of  all 
men,  and  be  found  spotless  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ, 
and  shall  dwell  with  him  eternally  in  the  heavens.  And  the  honor 
be  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  Son,  and  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  is 
one  God.    Amen. 

" '  Oliver  Cowdery. 

David  Wbttmer. 

Martin  Harris. 

"  '  testimony  of  eight  witnesses. 

" '  Be  it  known  unto  all  nations,  kindreds,  tongues  and  people, 
unto  whom  this  work  shall  come,  that  Joseph  Smith,  jun.,  the 
translator  of  this  work,  has  shown  unto  us  the  plates  of  which 
hath  been  spoken,  which  have  the  appearance  of  gold :  as  many 
of  the  leaves  as  the  said  Smith  has  translated  we  did  handle 


30  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

with  our  hands ;  and  we  also  saw  the  engravings  thereon,  all  of 
which  have  the  appearance  of  ancient  work,  and  of  curious  work- 
manship. And  this  we  bear  record  with  words  of  soberness,  that 
the  said  Smith  has  shown  unto  us,  for  we  have  seen  and  lighted, 
and  know  of  a  surety  that  the  said  Smith  has  got  the  plates  of 
which  we  have  spoken :  and  we  give  our  names  unto  the  world 
of  that  which  we  have  seen ;  and  we  lie  not,  God  bearing  witness 
of  it. 

"  'John  "Whitmee. 

Christian  Whitmee. 

Jacob  Whitmee. 

Petee  "Whitmee,  jun. 

Hieam  Page. 

Joseph  Smith,  sen. 

Hteum  Smith. 

Samuel  H.  Smith.'  " 

Such  is  the  story  of  a  friend,  derived  from  statements  made 
at  various  times  by  the  "  Prophet"  himself.  It  will  be  seen 
that  the  witnesses  of  its  truth  were  principally  of  the  two 
families  of  Whitmer  and  Smith.  The  Smiths  were  the  father 
and  brothers  of  Joseph.  Who  the  Whitmers  were  is  not 
clear — and  all  clue  to  their  character  and  proceedings  since 
this  date,  though  probably  known  to  the  Mormons  themselves, 
is  undiscoverable  by  the  "profane  vulgar."  As,  in  the  his- 
tory of  an  imposture  so  remarkable  as  this,  the  narrative  of 
the  principal  actor  becomes  both  curious  and  important,  the 
following  account  of  the  matter  is  extracted  from  the  auto- 
biography of  Joseph  Smith,  which  was  published  in  the  "  Mil- 
lennial Star  :" — 

"So  great  was  the  confusion  and  strife  among  the  different 
religious  denominations,  that  it  was  impossible  for  a  person, 
young  as  I  was,  and  so  unacquainted  with  men  and  things,  to 
come  to  any  certain  conclusion  who  was  right  and  who  was 
wrong.  My  mind  at  different  times  was  greatly  excited,  the 
cry  and  tumult  was  so  great  and  incessant.     The  Presbyte- 


JOSEPH'S    ACCOUNT    OF    THE    VISION.  31 

rians  were  most  decided  against  the  Baptists  and  Methodists, 
and  used  all  their  powers  of  either  reason  or  sophistry  to  prove 
their  errors,  or  at  least  to  make  the  people  think  they  were  in 
error.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Baptists  and  Methodists  in 
their  turn  were  equally  zealous  to  establish  their  own  tenets 
and  disprove  all  others. 

"  In  the  midst  of  this  war  and  tumult  of  opinions,  I  often 
said  to  myself,  what  is  to  be  done  ?  Who  of  all  these  parties 
are  right  ?  or  are  they  all  wrong  together  ?  If  any  one  of 
them  be  right,  which  is  it,  and  how  shall  I  know  it  ? 

"While  I  was  laboring  under  the  extreme  difficulties, 
caused  by  the  contests  of  these  parties  of  religionists,  I  was 
one  day  reading  the  epistle  of  James,  first  chapter  and  fifth 
verse,  which  reads,  '  If  any  one  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him 
ask  of  God,  that  giveth  unto  all  men  liberally  and  upbraideth 
not,  and  it  shall  be  given  him.'  Never  did  any  passage  of 
Scripture  come  with  more  power  to  the  heart  of  man  than 
this  did  at  this  time  to  mine.  It  seemed  to  enter  with  great 
force  into  every  feeling  of  my  heart.  I  reflected  on  it  again 
and  again,  knowing  that  if  any  person  needed  wisdom  from 
God,  I  did  ;  for  how  to  act  I  did  not  know,  and  unless  I  could 
get  more  wisdom  than  I  then  had,  would  never  know ;  for 
the  teachers  of  religion  of  the  different  sects  understood  the 
same  passage  so  differently  as  to  destroy  all  confidence  in  set- 
tling the  question  by  an  appeal  to  the  Bible.  At  length  I 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  I  must  either  remain  in  darkness 
and  confusion,  or  else  I  must  do  as  James  directs,  that  is,  ask 
of  God.  I  at  length  came  to  the  determination  to  '  ask  of 
God,'  concluding  that  if  he  gave  wisdom  to  them  that  lacked 
wisdom,  and  would  give  liberally  and  not  upbraid,  I  might 
venture.  So,  in  accordance  with  this  my  determination  to 
ask  of  God,  I  retired  to  the  woods  to  make  the  attempt.  It 
was  on  the  morning  of  a  beautiful  clear  day,  early  in.  the 
spring  of  eighteen  hundred  and  twenty.     It  was  the  first 


32  HISTOHY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

time  in  my  life  that  I  had  made  such  an  attempt,  for  amidst 
all  my  anxieties  I  had  never  yet  made  the  attempt  to  pray 
vocally. 

11  After  I  had  retired  into  the  place  where  I  had  previously 
designed  to  go,  having  looked  around  me  and  finding  myself 
alone,  I  kneeled  down  and  began  to  offer  up  the  desires  of  my 
heart  to  God.  I  had  scarcely  done  so,  when  immediately  I 
was  seized  upon  by  some  power  which  entirely  overcame  me, 
and  had  such  astonishing  influence  over  me,  as  to  bind  my 
tongue,  so  that  I  could  not  speak.  Thick  darkness  gathered 
around  me,  and  it  seemed  to  me  for  a  time  as  if  I  were 
doomed  to  sudden  destruction.  But  exerting  all  my  powers 
to  call  upon  God  to  deliver  me  out  of  the  power  of  this  enemy 
which  had  seized  upon  me,  and  at  the  very  moment  when  I 
was  ready  to  sink  into  despair  and  abandon  myself  to  destruc- 
tion, not  to  an  imaginary  ruin,  but  to  the  power  of  some  ac- 
tual being  from  the  unseen  world,  who  had  such  a  marvellous 
power  as  I  had  never  before  felt  in  any  being.  Just  at  this 
moment  of  great  alarm,  I  saw  a  pillar  of  light  exactly  over 
my  head,  above  the  brightness  of  the  sun,  which  descended 
gradually  until  it  fell  upon  me.  It  no  sooner  appeared  than 
I  found  myself  delivered  from  the  enemy  which  held  me 
bound.  When  the  light  rested  upon  me,  I  saw  two  person- 
ages, whose  brightness  and  glory  defy  all  description,  standing 
above  me  in  the  air.  One  of  them  spake  unto  me,  calling  me 
by  name,  and  said  (pointing  to  the  other) — '  this  is  my  be- 
loved son,  hear  him.' 

"  My  object  in  going  to  inquire  of  the  Lord,  was  to  know 
which  of  all  the  sects  was  right,  that  I  might  know  which  to 
join.  No  sooner,  therefore,  did  I  get  possession  of  myself,  so 
as  to  be  able  to  speak,  than  I  asked  the  personages  who  stood 
above  me  in  the  light,  which  of  all  the  sects  was  right  (for 
at  this  time  it  had  never  entered  into  my  heart  that  all  were 
wrong),  and  which  I  should  join.     I  was  answered  that  I 


JOSEPH    AND    THE  "  PERSONAGE."  33 

must  join  none  of  them,  for  they  were  all  wrong,  and  the  per- 
sonage who  addressed  me  said,  '  that  all  their  creeds  were  an 
abomination  in  his  sight ;  that  those  professors  were  all  cor- 
rupt, they  draw  near  to  me  with  their  lips,  but  their  hearts 
are  far  from  me  ;  they  teach  for  doctrine  the  commandments 
of  men,  having  a  form  of  godliness,  but  they  deny  the  power 
thereof.'  He  again  forbade  me  to  join  with  any  of  them ; 
and  many  other  things  did  he  say  unto  me,  which  I  cannot 
write  at  this  time.  When  I  came  to  myself  again,  I  found 
myself  lying  on  my  back,  looking  up  into  heaven.  Some  few 
days  after  I  had  this  vision,  I  happened  to  be  in  company 
with  one  of  the  Methodist  preachers  who  was  very  active  in 
the  before-mentioned  religious  excitement,  and  conversing 
with  him  on  the  subject  of  religion,  I  took  occasion  to  give 
him  an  account  of  the  vision  which  I  had  had.  I  was  greatly 
surprised  at  his  behavior ;  he  treated  my  communication  not 
only  lightly,  but  with  great  contempt,  saying  it  was  all  of  the 
devil,  that  there  were  no  such  things  as  visions  or  revelations 
in  these  days ;  that  all  such  things  had  ceased  with  the  apos- 
tles, and  that  there  never  would  be  any  more  of  them.  I  soon 
found,  however,  that  my  telling  the  story  had  excited  a  great 
deal  of  prejudice  against  me  among  professors  of  religion,  and 
was  the  cause  of  great  persecution,  which  continued  to  in- 
crease ;  and  though  I  was  an  obscure  boy,  only  between  four- 
teen and  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  my  circumstances  in  life 
such  as  to  make  a  boy  of  no  consequence  in  the  world,  yet 
men  of  high  standing  would  take  notice  sufficient  to  excite 
the  public  mind  against  me,  and  create  a  hot  persecution,  and 
this  was  common  among  all  the  sects  ;  all  united  to  persecute 
me.  It  has  often  caused  me  serious  reflection,  both  then  and 
since,  how  very  strange  it  was  that  an  obscure  boy  of  a  little 
over  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  one,  too,  who  was  doomed  to 
the  necessity  of  obtaining  a  scanty  maintenance  by  his  daily 
labor,  should  be  thought  a  character  of  sufficient  importance 
3 


34  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

to  attract  the  attention  of  the  great  ones  of  the  most  popular 
sects  of  the  day,  so  as  to  create  in  them  a  spirit  of  the  hottest 
persecution  and  reviling.  But  strange  or  not,  so  it  was,  and 
was  often  cause  of  great  sorrow  to  myself.  However,  it  was 
nevertheless  a  fact  that  I  had  a  vision.  I  have  thought  since 
that  I  felt  much  like  Paul  when  he  made  his  defence  before 
king  Agrippa,  and  related  the  account  of  the  vision  he  had 
when  he  '  saw  a  light  and  heard  a  voice,'  but  still  there  were 
but  few  who  believed  him  ;  some  said  he  was  dishonest, 
others  said  he  was  mad,  and  he  was  ridiculed  and  reviled  ; 
but  all  this  did  not  destroy  the  reality  of  his  vision.  He  had 
seen  a  vision,  he  knew  he  had,  and  all  the  persecution  under 
heaven  could  not  make  it  otherwise  ;  and  though  they  should 
persecute  him  unto  death,  yet  he  knew,  and  would  know  un- 
til his  latest  breath,  that  he  had  both  seen  a  light  and  heard 
a  voice  speaking  to  him,  and  all  the  world  could  not  make 
him  believe  otherwise. — So  it  was  with  me  ;  I  had  actually 
seen  a  light,  and  in  the  midst  of  that  light  I  saw  two  persona- 
ges, and  they  did  in  reality  speak  unto  me,  or  one  of  them 
did  ;  and  though  I  was  hated  and  persecuted  for  saying  that 
I  had  seen  a  vision,  yet  it  was  true  ;  and  while  they  were 
persecuting  me,  reviling  me,  and  speaking  all  manner  of  evil 
against  me  falsely  for  so  saying,  I  was  led  to  say  in  my  heart, 
why  persecute  for  telling  the  truth  ?  I  have  actually  seen  a 
vision,  and  '  who  am  I  that  I  can  withstand  God  V  or  why 
does  the  world  think  to  make  me  deny  what  I  have  actually 
seen  ?  for  I  had  seen  a  vision ;  I  knew  it,  and  I  knew  that 
God  knew  it,  and  I  could  not  deny  it,  neither  dare  I  do  it ;  at 
least,  I  knew  that  by  so  doing  I  would  offend  God  and  come 
under  condemnation.  I  had  now  got  my  mind  satisfied,  so 
far  as  the  sectarian  world  was  concerned,  that  it  was  not  my 
duty  to  join  with  any  one  of  them,  but  continue  as  I  was 
until  further  directed."* 

*  History  of  Joseph  Smith,  Millennial  Star,  vol.  iii.,  No.  2,  p.  21. 


VISIT    OF   JOHN    THE    BAPTIST.  35 

Without  stopping  to  inquire  whether  Joseph  were  a  knave 
or  a  lunatic — a  cool,  calculating  impostor — or  a  weak-minded 
enthusiast,  who,  in  the  visions  of  a  distempered  brain,  fancied 
and  believed  that  he  saw  things  which  he  has  thus  reported, 
we  proceed  to  the  next  incident.  Having  seen  God  the  Fa- 
ther and  God  the  Son,  he  was  in  a  short  time  afterwards,  as 
he  tells  the  world,  favored  with  a  visit  and  a  communication 
from  John  the  Baptist !  The  circumstance  is  thus  recorded 
by  himself  in  the  "Millennial  Star,"  vol.  iii.,  page  148  : — 

"  While  we  (Joseph  Smith  and  Oliver  Cowdery)  were  thus 
employed  (in  the  work  of  translation),  praying  and  calling  upon 
the  Lord,  a  messenger  from  heaven  descended  in  a  cloud  of 
light,  and  having  laid  his  hands  upon  us,  he  ordained  us,  saying 
unto  us, '  Upon  you,  my  fellow-servants,  in  the  name  of  the  Mes- 
siah, I  confer  the  priesthood  of  Aaron,  which  holds  the  keys  of 
the  ministering  of  angels,  and  of  the  gospel  of  repentance,  and 
of  baptism  by  immersion  for  the  remission  of  sins  ;  and  this 
shall  never  be  taken  again  from  the  earth  until  the  sons  of  Levi 
do  offer  again  an  offering  unto  the  Lord  in  righteousness.'  He 
said  this  Aaronic  priesthood  had  not  the  power  of  laying  on 
of  hands  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  that  this  should 
be  conferred  on  us  hereafter ;  and  he  commanded  us  to  go 
and  be  baptized,  and  gave  us  directions  that  I  should  baptize 
Oliver  Cowdery,  and  afterwards  that  he  should  baptize  me. 
Accordingly,  we  went  and  were  baptized.  I  baptized  him 
first,  and  afterwards  he  baptized  me.  After  which  I  laid  my 
hands  upon  his  head,  and  ordained  him  to  the  Aaronic  priest- 
hood ;  afterwards  he  laid  his  hands  on  me,  and  ordained  me 
to  the  same  priesthood,  for  so  we  were  commanded.  The 
messenger  who  visited  us  on  this  occasion,  and  conferred  this 
priesthood  upon  us,  said  that  his  name  was  John,  the  same 
that  is  called  John  the  Baptist  in  the  New  Testament,  and 
that  he  acted  under  the  direction  of  Peter,  James,  and  John, 
who  held  the  keys  of  the  priesthood  of  Melchizedek,  which 


36  HISTORY   OF   THE    MORMONS. 

priesthood,  he  said,  should  in  due  time  be  conferred  on  us,  and 
that  I  should  be  called  the  first  elder,  and  he  the  second.  It 
was  on  the  15th  day  of  May,  1829,  that  we  were  baptized 
and  ordained  under  the  hand  of  the  Messenger." 

The  scheme  was  now  ripe  for  a  fuller  development ;  but  as 
we  have  hitherto  had  the  story  as  in  the  words  of  Joseph  him- 
self, and  of  his  ardent  disciples,  Mr.  Orson  Pratt  and  the 
"  witnesses,"  it  is  necessary  to  go  back  a  little,  and  narrate  a 
few  circumstances  relative  to  one  of  the  most  important  of 
these  witnesses,  and  to  the  manner  in  which  he  was  originally 
induced  to  become  a  believer  in  the  "  prophet"  and  his  book. 
It  will  also  be  necessary  to  inquire  whether  the  statements  of 
Mr.  Pratt,  with  reference  to  Professor  Anthon,  were  admitted 
by  that  gentleman. 

Joseph  Smith  having  made  known  his  doctrine  to  various 
persons,  the  wonderful  plates  began  to  be  talked  about. 
Among  the  persons  who  were  originally  most  disposed  to  join 
the  new  sect  was  the  Mr.  Martin  Harris  whose  name  appears 
along  with  those  of  other  witnesses  in  the  above  testimony. 
This  Martin  Harris  was  a  farmer,  who  appears  to  have  been 
possessed  of  more  money  than  wit,  and  of  more  credulity  than 
judgment.  His  religious  opinions  were  unsettled,  as  he  was 
at  one  time  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  afterwards  a 
Wesleyan,  then  a  Baptist,  and,  at  the  time  when  Joseph 
Smith  made  his  acquaintance,  a  Presbyterian.  He  was  at 
once  captivated  by  the  doctrines  and  pretensions  of  Joseph, 
and  lent  the  "  prophet"  the  sum  of  fifty  dollars  to  enable  him 
to  publish  his  new  Bible.  Joseph,  though  asked  by  Martin 
Harris  to  show  the  plates,  refused,  on  the  pretence  that  he 
was  not  pure  of  heart  enough  to  be  allowed  a  sight  of  such 
treasures  ;  but  he  generously  made  a  transcript  of  a  portion 
of  them  upon  paper,  which  he  told  him  to  submit  to  any 
learned  scholar  in  the  world,  if  he  wished  to  be  satisfied. 
Martin  Harris  was  an  earnest  man,  and  he  set  out  from  Pal- 


MARTIN    HARRIS.  37 

myra  to  New  York,  to  visit  Professor  Anthon,  a  gentleman  of 
the  highest  reputation,  both  in  America  and  Europe,  and  well 
known  for  his  valuable  and  correct  editions  of  the  classics. 
He  found  the  Professor,  and  submitted  the  plates  to  him.  The 
Mormons  at  this  time  were  too  insignificant  to  excite  atten- 
tion, and  the  result  of  Martin  Harris's  interview  with  the 
learned  man  was  not  known  until  three  or  four  years  after- 
wards, when  a  report  having  been  spread  abroad  by  the  Mor- 
mons that  the  Professor  had  seen  the  plates,  and  pronounced 
the  inscriptions  to  be  in  the  Egyptian  character,  that  gentle- 
man was  requested  by  a  letter  directed  to  him  by  Mr.  E.  D. 
Howe,  of  Painesville,  Ohio,  to  declare  whether  such  was  the 
fact  ?  Professor  Anthon  returned  the  following  answer,  de- 
tailing his  interview  with  the  simple-minded  Mr.  Harris  : — 

"New  York,  Feb.  17,  1834. 
"  Dear  Sir. — I  received  your  letter  of  the  9th,  and  lose  no  time 
in  making  a  reply.  The  whole  story  about  my  pronouncing  the  Mor- 
monite  inscription  to  be  '  Reformed  Egyptian  Hieroglyphics,'  is  per- 
fectly false.  Some  years  ago  a  plain,  apparently  simple-hearted, 
farmer  called  on  me  wiih  a  note  from  Dr.  Mitchell,  of  our  city,  now 
dead,  requesting  me  to  decipher,  if  possible,  a  paper  which  the 
farmer  would  hand  me.  Upon  examining  the  paper  in  question,  I 
soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  all  a  trick,  perhaps  a  hoax. 
When  I  asked  the  person  who  brought  it  how  he  obtained  the 
writing,  he  gave  me  the  following  account : — A  '  gold  book,'  consist- 
ing of  a  number  of  plates  fastened  together  by  wires  of  the  same 
material,  had  been  dug  up  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  along  with  it  an  enormous  pair  of  '  spectacles  !'  These 
spectacles  were  so  large,  that  if  any  person  attempted  to  look  through 
them,  his  two  eyes  would  look  through  one  glass  only  ;  the  specta- 
cles in  question  being  altogether  too  large  for  the  human  face. 
'  Whoever,'  he  said, '  examined  the  plates  through  the  glasses  was 
enabled  not  only  to  read  them,  but  fully  to  understand  their  meaning. 
All  this  knowledge,  however,  was  confined  to  a  young  man,  who 
had  the  trunk  containing  the  book  and  spectacles  in  his  sole  posses- 


38  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

sion.  This  young  man  was  placed  behind  a  curtain,  in  a  garret,  in 
a  farm-house,  and  being  thus  concealed  from  view,  he  put  on  the 
spectacles  occasionally,  or  rather,  looked  through  one  of  the  glasses, 
deciphered  the  characters  in  the  book,  and  having  committed  some 
of  them  to  paper,  handed  copies  from  behind  the  curtain  to  those 
who  stood  outside.'  Not  a  word  was  said  about  their  having  been 
deciphered  by  the  '  gift  of  God.'  Everything  in  this  way  was  ef- 
fected by  the  large  pair  of  spectacles.  The  farmer  added,  that  he 
had  been  requested  to  contribute  a  sum  of  money  towards  the  publi- 
cation of  the  '  golden  book,'  the  contents  of  which  would,  as  he  was 
told,  produce  an  entire  change  in  the  world,  and  save  it  from  ruin. 
So  urgent  had  been  these  solicitations,  that  he  intended  selling  his 
farm,  and  giving  the  amount  to  those  who  wished  to  publish  the 
plates.  As  a  last  precautionary  step,  he  had  resolved  to  come  to 
New  York,  and  obtain  the  opinion  of  the  learned  about  the  meaning 
of  the  paper  which  he  had  brought  with  him,  and  which  had  been 
given  him  as  part  of  the  contents  of  the  book,  although  no  transla- 
tion had  at  that  time  been  made  by  the  young  man  with  the  specta- 
cles. On  hearing  this  odd  story,  I  changed  my  opinion  about  the 
paper,  and  instead  of  viewing  it  any  longer  as  a  hoax,  I  began  to 
regard  it  as  part  of  a  scheme  to  cheat  the  farmer  of  his  money,  and 
I  communicated  my  suspicions  to  him,  warning  him  to  beware  of 
rogues.  He  requested  an  opinion  from  me  in  writing,  which  of 
course,  I  declined  to  give,  and  he  then  took  his  leave,  taking  his  pa- 
per with  him. 

"  This  paper,  in  question,  was  in  fact  a  singular  scroll.  It  con- 
sisted of  all  kinds  of  crooked  characters,  disposed  in  columns,  and 
had  evidently  been  prepared  by  some  person  who  had  before  him  at 
the  time  a  book  containing  various  alphabets,  Greek  and  Hebrew 
letters,  crosses,  and  flourishes  ;  Roman  letters  inverted  or  placed 
sideways,  were  arranged  and  placed  in  perpendicular  columns ;  and 
the  whole  ended  in  a  rude  delineation  of  a  circle,  divided  into  various 
compartments,  decked  with  various  strange  marks,  and  evidently 
copied  after  the  Mexican  Calendar,  given  by  Humboldt,  but  copied 
in  such  a  way  as  not  to  betray  the  source  whence  it  was  derived.  I 
am  thus  particular  as  to  the  contents  of  the  paper,  inasmuch  as  I 
have  frequently  conversed  with  my  friends  on  the  subject  since  the 


THE    BOOK    OF    MORMON.  3ty 

Mormon  excitement  began,  and  well  remember  that  the  paper  con- 
tained anything  else  but 'Egyptian  Hieroglyphics.' 

"  Some  time  after  the  same  farmer  paid  me  a  second  visit.  He 
brought  with  him  the  '  gold  book'  in  print,  and  offered  it  to  me  for 
sale.  I  declined  purchasing.  He  then  asked  permission  to  leave 
the  book  with  me  for  examination.  I  declined  receiving  it,  although 
his  manner  was  strangely  urgent.  I  adverted  once  more  to  the 
roguery  which,  in  my  opinion,  had  been  practised  upon  him,  and 
asked  him  what  had  become  of  the  gold  plates.  He  informed  me 
that  they  were  in  a  trunk  with  the  spectacles.  I  advised  him  to  go 
to  a  magistrate  and  have  the  trunk  examined.  He  said, '  The  curse 
of  God'  would  come  upon  him  if  he  did.  On  my  pressing  him,  how- 
ever, to  go  to  a  magistrate,  he  told  me  he  would  open  the  trunk  if  I 
would  take  the  '  curse  of  God'  upon  myself.  I  replied  I  would  do 
so  with  the  greatest  willingness,  and  would  incur  every  risk  of  that 
nature,  provided  I  could  only  extricate  him  from  the  grasp  of  rogues ; 
he  then  left  me.  I  have  given  you  a  full  statement  of  all  that  I 
know  respecting  the  origin  of  Mormonism,  and  must  beg  you,  as  a 
personal  favor,  to  publish  this  letter  immediately,  should  you  find  my 
name  mentioned  again  by  these  wretched  fanatics. 

"  Yours  respectfully, 

"  Charles  Anthon." 

This  letter  speaks  for  itself,  and  needs  no  comment.  The 
following  summary  of  the  contents  of  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
thus  strangely  issued  into  the  world,  is  from  a  publication 
called  the  Voice  of  Warning,  by  Parley  P.  Pratt,  another 
apostle  : — 

"  The  Book  of  Mormon  contains  the  history  of  the  ancient  inhab- 
itants of  America,  who  were  a  branch  of  the  house  of  Israel,  of  the 
tribe  of  Joseph  ;  of  whom  the  Indians  are  still  a  remnant ;  but  the 
principal  nation  of  them  having  fallen  in  battle,  in  the  fourth  or  fifth 
century,  one  of  their  prophets,  whose  name  was  Mormon,  saw  fit  to 
make  an  abridgment  of  their  history,  their  prophecies,  and  their  doc- 
trine, which  he  engraved  on  plates,  and  afterwards,  being  slain,  the 
record  fell  into  the  hands  of  his  son  Moroni,  who,  being  hunted  by 


40  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

his  enemies,  was  directed  to  deposit  the  record  safely  in  the  earth, 
with  a  promise  from  God  that  it  should  be  preserved,  and  should  be 
brought  to  light  in  the  latter  days  by  means  of  a  Gentile  nation,  who 
should  possess  the  land.  The  deposit  was  made  about  the  year  420, 
on  a  hill  then  called  Cumora,  now  in  Ontario  county,  where  it  was 
preserved  in  safety  until  it  was  brought  to  light  by  no  less  than  the 
ministry  of  angels,  and  translated  by  inspiration.  And  the  great 
Jehovah  bore  record  of  the  same  to  chosen  witnesses,  who  declare 
it  to  the  world." 

The  question  will  be  asked,  could  Joseph  Smith,  a  notori- 
ously illiterate,  though  clever  man,  really  write  the  Book  of 
Mormon  ?  Without  pretending  to  state  positively  that  Joseph 
Smith  was  not  the  sole  author  of  the  volume,  or  that  he  was 
not  aided  by  other  persons  in  its  composition,  we  present  the 
following  short  history,  which  the  American  opponents  of 
Mormonism  consider  to  be  a  true  statement  of  its  origin. 

It  is  stated  by  them  that,  in  the  year  1809,  a  man  of  the 
name  of  Solomon  Spaulding,  who  had  formerly  been  a  cler- 
gyman, failed  in  business  at  a  place  called  Cherry  Y alley,  in 
the  State  of  New  York.  Being  a  person  of  literary  tastes, 
and  his  attention  having  been  directed  to  the  notion  which  at 
that  time  excited  some  interest  and  discussion,  namely,  that 
the  North  American  Indians  were  the  descendants  of  the  lost 
ten  tribes  of  Israel,  it  struck  him  that  the  idea  afforded  a  good 
groundwork  for  a  religious  tale,  history,  or  novel.  For  three 
years  he  labored  upon  this  work,  which  he  entitled  The 
Manuscript  Found.  "  Mormon"  and  his  son  "  Moroni,"  who 
act  so  large  a  part  in  Joseph  Smith's  Book  of  Mormon,  were 
two  of  the  principal  characters  in  it.  In  1812  the  MS.  was 
presented  to  a  printer  or  bookseller,  named  Patterson,  residing 
at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  with  a  view  to  its  publication. 
Before  any  satisfactory  arrangement  could  be  made,  the  author 
died,  and  the  manuscript  remained  in  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Patterson,  apparently  unnoticed  and  uncared  for.     The  printer 


THE    BOOK    OF    MORMON.  41 

also  died  in  1826,  having  previously  lent  the  manuscript  to 
one  Sidney  Rigdon,  a  compositor  in  his  employ,  who  was  at 
the  time  a  preacher  in  connection  with  some  Christian  sect, 
of  which  the  proper  designation  is  not  very  clearly  stated. 
This  Rigdon  afterwards  became,  next  to  Joseph  Smith  him- 
self, the  principal  leader  of  the  Mormons.  How  Joseph 
Smith  and  this  person  became  connected  is  not  known,  and 
which  of  the  two  originated  the  idea  of  making  a  new  Bible 
out  of  Solomon  Spaulding's  novel  is  equally  uncertain.  The 
wife,  the  partner,  several  friends,  and  the  brother  of  Solomon 
Spaulding,  affirmed,  however,  the  identity  of  the  principal 
portions  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  with  the  novel  of  The  Man- 
uscript Found,  which  the  author  had  from  time  to  time,  and 
in  separate  portions,  read  over  to  them.  John  Spaulding, 
brother  to  Solomon,  declared  upon  oath  that  his  brother's  book 
was  an  historical  romance  of  the  first  settlers  in  America,  en- 
deavoring to  show  that  the  American  Indians  are  the  descend- 
ants of  Jews,  or  the  lost  ten  tribes.  He  stated  that  it  gave 
a  detailed  account  of  their  journey  from  Jerusalem  by  land 
and  by  sea,  till  they  arrived  in  America  under  the  command 
of  Nephi  and  Lehi ;  and  that  it  also  mentioned  the  Laman- 
ites.  He  added  that  "  he  had  recently  read  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, and,  to  his  great  surprise,  he  found  nearly  the  same  his- 
torical matter  and  names  as  in  his  brother's  writings.  To 
the  best  of  his  recollection  and  belief,  it  was  the  same  that 
his  brother  Solomon  wrote,  with  the  exception  of  the  religious 
matter." 

The  widow  of  Solomon  Spaulding  afterwards  married  a  Mr. 
Davison  ;  and  a  statement,  purporting  to  have  been  made  by 
her  in  the  following  words,  was  published  in  a  Boston  news- 
paper in  May,  1839  :— 

"  As  the  Book  of  Mormon,  or  Golden  Bible  (as  it  was  originally 
called)  has  excited  much  attention,  and  is  deemed  by  a  certain  new 


42  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

sect  of  equal  authority  with  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  I  think  it  a 
duty  which  I  owe  to  the  public  to  state  what  I  know  touching  its 
origin. 

"  That  its  claims  to  a  divine  origin  are  wholly  unfounded  needs 
no  proof  to  a  mind  unperverted  by  the  grossest  delusions.  That  any 
sane  person  should  rank  it  higher  than  any  other  merely  human 
composition  is  a  matter  of  the  greatest  astonishment ;  yet  it  is  re- 
ceived as  divine  by  some  who  dwell  in  enlightened  New  England, 
and  even  by  those  who  have  sustained  the  character  of  devoted 
Christians.  Learning  recently  that  Mormonism  had  found  its  way 
into  a  church  in  Massachusetts,  and  has  impregnated  some  with  its 
gross  delusions,  so  that  excommunication  has  been  necessary,  I  am 
determined  to  delay  no  longer  in  doing  what  I  can  to  strip  the  mask 
from  this  mother  of  sin,  and  to  lay  open  this  pit  of  abominations. 

"  Solomon  Spaulding,  to  whom  I  was  united  in  marriage  in  early 
life,  was  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College,  and  was  distinguished 
for  a  lively  imagination,  and  a  great  fondness  for  history.  At  the 
time  of  our  marriage,  he  resided  in  Cherry  Valley,  New  York.  From 
this  place,  we  removed  to  New  Salem,  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio, 
sometimes  called  Conneaut,  as  it  is  situated  on  Conneaut  Creek. 
Shortly  after  our  removal  to  this  place,  his  health  sunk,  and  he  was 
laid  aside  from  active  labors.  In  the  town  of  New  Salem  there  are 
numerous  mounds  and  forts  supposed  by  many  to  be  the  dilapidated 
dwellings  and  fortifications  of  a  race  now  extinct.  These  ancient 
relics  arrest  the  attention  of  the  new  settlers,  and  become  objects  of 
research  for  the  curious.  Numerous  implements  were  found,  and 
other  articles  evincing  great  skill  in  the  arts.  Mr.  Spaulding  being 
an  educated  man,  and  passionately  fond  of  history,  took  a  lively  in- 
terest in  these  developments  of  antiquity ;  and  in  order  to  beguile 
the  hours  of  retirement,  and  furnish  employment  for  his  lively  im- 
agination, he  conceived  the  idea  of  giving  an  historical  sketch  of 
this  long  lost  race.  Their  extreme  antiquity  led  him  to  write  in  the 
most  ancient  style,  and  as  the  Old  Testament  is  the  most  ancient 
book  in  the  world,  he  imitated  its  style  as  nearly  as  possible.  His 
sole  object  in  writing  this  imaginary  history  was  to  amuse  himself 
and  his  neighbors.  This  was  about  the  year  1812.  Hull's  surren- 
der at  Detroit  occurred  near  the  same  time,  and  I  recollect  the  date 
well  from  that  circumstance.     As  he  progressed  in  his  narrative, 


THE    BOOK    OF    MORMON.  43 

the  neighbors  would  come  in  from  time  to  time  to  hear  portions  read, 
and  a  great  interest  in  the  work  was  excited  among  them.  It  claim- 
ed to  have  been  written  by  one  of  the  lost  nation,  and  to  have  been 
recovered  from  the  earth,  and  assumed  the  title  of  '  Manuscript 
found.'  The  neighbors  would  often  inquire  how  Mr.  Spaulding 
progressed  in  deciphering  the  manuscript ;  and  when  he  had  a  suf- 
ficient portion  prepared,  he  would  inform  them,  and  they  would  as- 
semble to  hear  it  read.  He  was  enabled,  from  his  acquaintance  with 
the  classics  and  ancient  history,  to  introduce  many  singular  names, 
which  were  particularly  noticed  by  the  people,  and  could  be  easily 
recognized  by  them.  Mr.  Solomon  Spaulding  had  a  brother,  Mr. 
John  Spaulding,  residing  in  the  place  at  the  time,  who  was  perfect- 
ly familiar  with  the  work,  and  repeatedly  heard  the  whole  of  it  read. 
From  New  Salem  we  removed  to  Pittsburgh,  in  Pennsylvania.  Here 
Mr.  Spaulding  found  a  friend  and  acquaintance,  in  the  person  of  Mr. 
Patterson,  an  editor  of  a  newspaper.  He  exhibited  his  manuscript 
to  Mr.  Patterson,  who  was  very  much  pleased  with  it,  and  borrowed 
it  for  perusal.  He  retained  it  for  a  long  time,  and  informed  Mr. 
Spaulding  that  if  he  would  make  out  a  title-page  and  preface,  he  would 
publish  it,  and  it  might  be  a  source  of  profit.  This  Mr.  Spaulding 
refused  to  do.  Sidney  Rigdon,  who  has  figured  so  largely  in  the 
history  of  the  Mormons,  was  at  that  time  connected  with  the  print- 
ing-office of  Mr.  Patterson,  as  is  well  known  in  that  region,  and  as 
Rigdon  himself  has  frequently  stated,  became  acquainted  with  Mr. 
Spaulding's  manuscript,  and  copied  it.  It  was  a  matter  of  notoriety 
and  interest  to  all  connected  with  the  printing  establishment.  At 
length  the  manuscript  was  returned  to  its  author,  and  soon  after  we 
removed  to  Amity,  Washington  county,  &c,  where  Mr.  Spaulding 
deceased  in,  1816.  The  manuscript  then  fell  into  my  hands,  and 
was  carefully  preserved.  It  has  frequently  been  examined  by  my 
daughter  Mrs.  M'Kenstry,  of  Monson,  Massachusetts,  with  whom  I 
now  reside,  and  by  other  friends. 

"  After  the  book  of  Mormon  came  out,  a  copy  of  it  was  taken  to 
New  Salem,  the  place  of  Mr.  Spaulding's  former  residence,  and  the 
very  place  where  the  "manuscript  found  was  written.  A  woman- 
preacher  appointed  a  meeting  there ;  and  in  the  meeting  read  and 
repeated  copious  extracts  from  the  book  of  Mormon.  The  historical 
part  was  immediately  recognized  by  all  the  older  inhabitants,  as  the 


44  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

identical  work  of  Mr.  Spaulding,  in  which  they  had  all  been  so  deep- 
ly interested  years  before.  Mr.  John  Spaulding  was  present  and 
recognized  perfectly  the  work  of  his  brother.  He  was  amazed  and 
afflicted  that  it  should  have  been  perverted  to  so  wicked  a  purpose. 
His  grief  found  vent  in  a  flood  of  tears,  and  he  arose  on  the  spot, 
and  expressed  to  the  meeting  his  sorrow  and  regret  that  the  writings 
of  his  deceased  brother  should  be  used  for  a  purpose  so  vile  and 
shocking.  The  excitement  in  New  Salem  became  so  great,  that 
the  inhabitants  had  a  meeting,  and  deputed  Dr.  Philastus  Hurlbut, 
one  of  their  number,  to  repair  to  this  place,  and  to  obtain  from  me 
the  original  manuscript  of  Mr.  Spaulding,  for  the  purpose  of  com- 
paring it  with  the  Mormon  Bible,  to  satisfy  their  own  minds,  and  to 
prevent  their  friends  from  embracing  an  error  so  delusive.  This 
was  in  the  year  1834.  Dr.  Hurlbut  brought  with  him  an  introduc- 
tion and  request  for  the  manuscript,  which  was  signed  by  Messrs. 
Henry  Lake,  Aaron  Wright,  and  others,  with  all  of  whom  I  was 
acquainted,  as  they  were  my  neighbors  when  "I  resided  at  New  Sa- 
lem. I  am  sure  that  nothing  would  grieve  my  husband  more,  were 
he  living,  than  the  use  which  has  been  made  of  his  work.  The  air 
of  antiquity  which  was  thrown  about  the  composition,  doubtless  sug- 
gested the  idea  of  converting  it  to  the  purposes  of  delusion.  Thus, 
an  historical  romance,  with  the  addition  of  a  few  pious  expressions, 
and  extracts  from  the  sacred  Scriptures,  has  been  construed  into  a 
new  Bible,  and  palmed  off  upon  a  company  of  poor  deluded  fanatics 
as  Divine.  I  have  given  the  previous  brief  narration,  that  this  work 
of  deep  deception  and  wickedness  may  be  searched  to  the  foundation, 
and  the  authors  exposed  to  the  contempt  and  execration  they  so 
justly  deserve. 

"  Matilda  Davison." 

The  Dr.  Hurlbut  mentioned  in  Mrs.  Davison's  statement 
was  once  a  believer  in  Joseph  Smith,  and  a  member  of  the 
church.  According  to  his  own  account,  he  seceded,  because 
his  eyes  were  opened  to  the  imposture  and  delusion  of  which 
he  had  been  the  victim.  According  to  the  Mormon  account, 
he  was  expelled  for  adultery  and  other  immorality.  With 
this  preface,  the  following  coarse  denial  of  Mrs.  Davison's 


THE    BOOK    OF   MORMON.  45 

statement,  and  fierce  denunciation  of  Dr.  Hurlbut,  will  be  in- 
telligible. The  denial  was  made  by  Sidney  Rigdon,  who  was 
himself  accused  of  being  the  principal  agent  of  the  fraud,  and 
was  addressed,  on  the  27th  of  May,  1839,  to  the  editors  of  the 
Boston  Journal.  It  will  be  seen  from  the  tone  and  spirit, 
no  less  than  from  the  grammatical  construction  of  the  letter, 
that  Sidney  Rigdon,  although  a  compositor,  was  by  no  means 
so  well  educated  as  the  bulk  of  his  fellow-workmen  in  that 
intellectual  branch  of  mechanical  industry,  and  that  his  lit- 
erary abilities  were  of  the  meanest  order  : — 

"  Commerce,  May  27,  1839. 

"Messrs.  Bartlett  and  Sullivan, — In  your  paper  of  the  18th 
instant,  I  see  a  letter  signed  by  somebody  calling  herself  Matilda 
Davison,  pretending  to  give  the  origin  of  Mormonism,  as  she  is  pleased 
to  call  it,  by  relating  a  moonshine  story  about  a  certain  Solomon 
Spaulding,  a  creature  with  the  knowledge  of  whose  earthly  existence 
I  am  entirely  indebted  to  this  production ;  for  surely,  until  Dr.  Phi- 
lastus  Hurlbut  informed  me  that  such  a  being  lived,  at  some  former 
period,  I  had  not  the  most  distant  knowledge  of  his  existence ;  and 
all  I  now  know  about  his  character  is,  the  opinion  I  form  from  what  is 
attributed  to  his  wife,  in  obtruding  my  name  upon  the  public  in  the 
manner  in  which  she  is  said  to  have  done,  by  trying  to  make  the 
public  believe  that  I  had  knowledge  of  the  ignorant,  and,  according 
to  her  own  testimony?  the  lying  scribblings  of  her  deceased  husband ; 
for  if  her  testimony  is  to  be  credited,  her  pious  husband,  in  his  life- 
time, wrote  a  bundle  of  lies  for  the  righteous  purpose  of  getting 
money.  How  many  lies  he  had  told  for  the  same  purpose,  while 
he  was  preaching,  she  has  not  so  kindly  informed  us ;  but  we  are  at 
liberty  to  draw  our  own  conclusions,  for  he  that  would  write  lies  to 
get  money,  would  also  preach  lies  for  the  same  object.  This  being 
the  only  information  which  I  have,  or  ever  had,  of  the  said  Rev.  Sol- 
omon Spaulding,  I,  of  necessity,  have  but  a  very  light  opinion  of 
him  as  a  gentleman,  a  scholar,  or  a  man  of  piety ;  for  had  he  been 
either,  he  certainly  would  have  taught  his  pious  wife  not  to  lie,  nor 
unite  herself  with  adulterers,  liars,  and  the  basest  of  mankind. 

"It  is  only  necessary  to  say,  in  relation  to  the  whole  story  about 


46  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

Spaulding's  writings  being  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Patterson,  who  was 
in  Pittsburgh,  and  who  is  said  to  have  kept  a  printing-office,  and  my 
saying  that  I  was  concerned  in  the  said  office,  &c,  &c,  is  the  most 
base  of  lies,  without  even  the  shadow  of  truth.  There  was  no  man 
by  the  name  of  Patterson,  during  my  residence  at  Pittsburgh,  who 
had  a  printing-office ;  what  might  have  been  before  1  lived  there  I 
know  not.  Mr.  Robert  Patterson,  I  was  told,  had  owned  a  printing- 
office  before  I  lived  in  that  city,  but  had  been  unfortunate  in  busi- 
ness, and  failed  before  my  residence  there.  This  Mr.  Patterson, 
who  was  a  Presbyterian  preacher,  I  had  a  very  slight  acquaintance 
with  during  my  residence  in  Pittsburgh.  He  was  then  acting  under 
an  agency,  in  the  book  and  stationery  business,  and  was  the  owner 
of  no  property  of  any  kind,  printing-office  or  anything  else,  during 
the  time  I  resided  in  the  city. 

"  If  I  were  to  say  that  I  ever  heard  of  the  Rev.  Solomon  Spauld- 
ing  and  his  hopeful  wife,  until  Dr.  P.  Hurlbut  wrote  his  lie  about 
me,  I  should  be  a  liar  like  unto  themselves.  Why  was  not  the  tes- 
timony of  Mr.  Patterson  obtained  to  give  force  to  this  shameful  tale 
of  lies  ?  The  only  reason  is,  that  he  was  not  a  fit  tool  for  them  to 
work  with ;  he  would  not  lie  for  them,  for  if  he  were  called  on  he 
would  testify  to  what  I  have  here  said. 

"  Let  me  here,  Gentlemen,  give  a  history  of  this  Dr.  P.  Hurlbut 
and  his  associates,  who  aided  in  getting  up  and  propagating  this 
batch  of  lies. 

"  I  have  seen  and  heard,  at  one  time  and  another,  by  the  persecu- 
tors and  haters  of  the  truth,  a  great  deal  about  the  eminent  phy- 
sician, Dr.  Hurlbut.  I  never  thought  the  matter  worthy  of  notice, 
nor  probably  ever  should,  had  it  not  made  its  appearance  in  your 
paper,  or  some  one  of  equal  respectability.  And  I  believe,  Gen- 
tlemen, had  you  known  the  whole  history  of  this  budget  of  lies,  it 
would  never  have  found  a  place  in  your  paper.    But  to  my  history. 

"  This  said  Doctor  was  never  a  physician  at  any  time,  nor  any- 
thing else  but  a  base  ruffian.  He  was  the  seventh  son,  and  his 
parents  called  him  Doctor  ;  it  was  his  name,  and  not  the  title  of  his 
profession. 

'•  He  once  belonged  to  the  Methodist  church,  and  was  excluded 
for  immoralities.  He  afterwards  imposed  himself  on  the  church  of 
Latter-Day  Saints,  and  was  excluded  for  using  obscene  language  to 


THE    BOOK    OF    MORMON.  47 

a  young  lady,  a  member  of  the  said  church,  who  resented  his  in- 
sult with  indignation,  which  became  both  her  character  and  profes- 
sion. 

"  After  his  exclusion  he  swore — for  he  was  vilely  profane — that 
he  would  have  revenge,  and  commenced  his  work.  He  soon  found 
assistance  ;  a  pious  old  deacon  of  the  Campbellite  church,  by  the 
name  of  Onis  Clapp,  and  his  two  sons,  Thomas  J.  Clapp  and  Mat- 
thew S.  Clapp,  both  Campbellite  preachers,  abetted  and  assisted  by 
another  Campbellite  preacher  by  the  name  of  Adamson  Bentley. 
Hurlbut  went  to  work,  catering  lies  for  the  company.  Before  Hurl- 
but  got  through,  his  conduct  became  so  scandalous  that  the  company 
utterly  refused  to  let  his  name  go  out  with  the  lies  he  had  collected, 
and  which  he  and  his  associates  had  made,  they  therefore  substituted 
the  name  of  E.  D.  Howe.  The  change,  however,  was  not  much 
better.  There  were  scandalous  immoralities  about  the  Howe  family 
of  so  black  a  character,  that  they  had  nothing  to  lose,  and  became 
good  tools  for  this  holy  company  to  work  with.  A  man  of  character 
would  never  have  put  his  name  to  a  work  which  Hurlbut  was  con- 
cerned in.  But  while  Hurlbut  was  busily  employed  in  the  service 
of  the  company,  old  Deacon  Clapp  was  employed  in  taking  care  of 
his  wife.  How  many  others  of  the  company  aided  in  this  business 
must  be  left  to  futurity  to  disclose.  At  a  certain  time,  Hurlbut  being 
out  till  a  late  hour  in  the  night,  returned  to  his  house,  and  in  going 
to  his  bed-room  where  his  wife  was,  behold,  and  lo !  there  was  the 
pious  old  deacon,  either  in  bed  with  his  wife  or  at  the  side  of  it.  He 
had  a  five-dollar  bank  note  in  his  hand,  and  his  dress  was  rather 
light  to  suit  the  doctor's  taste,  for  he  was  not  quite  as  well  off  as 
was  Aaron  when  he  offered  sacrifice,  not  even  having  on  a  pair  of 
'linen  breeches.'  Hurlbut  laid  hold  of  him  and  called  for  help, 
which  soon  came  to  his  assistance.  The  pious  old  deacon  was  ar- 
raigned before  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  was  on  the  eve  of  being 
bound  over  for  his  appearance  to  the  county  court,  when,  to  put  an 
end  to  the  evils  which  might  result  from  his  pious  care  of  Mrs. 
Hurlbut,  he  kindly  offered  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  hundred  dollars. 
This  was  accepted.  Hurlbut  took  his  wife,  and  left  the  country 
forthwith  ;  and  the  pious  old  deacon  and  his  sons,  and  the  good  Mr. 
Bentley,  are  left  to  wear  out  the  shame  of  their  great  effort  to  de- 
stroy the  character  of  innocent  men  whom  they  never  dared  to  meet 


48  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

in  argument.     The  tale  in  your  paper  is  one  hatched  up  by  this 
gang  before  the  time  of  their  explosion. 

"  It  has  always  been  a  source  of  no  ordinary  satisfaction  to  me,  to 
know  that  my  enemies  have  no  better  weapon  to  use  against  me,  or 
the  cause  in  which  I  am  engaged,  than  lies  ;  for  if  they  had  any  bet- 
ter they  would  certainly  use  them.  I  must  confess,  however,  that 
there  is  some  consistency  in  our  persecutors,  for  as  truth  can  never 
destroy  truth,  it  would  be  in  vain  for  our  persecutors  to  use  truth 
against  us,  for  this  would  only  build  us  up ;  this  they  seem  to  know, 
and  lay  hold  of  the  only  available  means  they  have,  which  are  lies ; 
and  this  indeed  is  the  only  weapon  which  can  be,  or  ever  has  been, 
used  against  the  truth.  As  our  persecutors  are  endeavoring  to  stop 
the  progress  of  truth,  I  must  confess  that  they  act  with  a  degree  of 
consistency  in  the  choice  of  means,  namely,  lies ;  but  if  truth  would 
do  it,  they  would  surely  not  have  recourse  to  lies. 

"  In  order  to  give  character  to  their  lies,  they  dress  them  up  with 
a  great  deal  of  piety :  for  a  pious  lie,  you  know,  has  a  great  deal 
more  influence  with  an  ignorant  people,  than  a  profane  one.  Hence 
their  lies  came  signed  by  the  pious  wife  of  a  pious  deceased  priest. 
However,  his  last  act  of  piety  seems  to  have  been  to  write  a  bundle 
of  lies,  themselves  being  witnesses  ;  but  then  his  great  piety  sanc- 
tifies them,  and  lies  become  holy  things  in  the  hands  of  such  exces- 
sive piety,  particularly  when  they  are  graced  with  a  few  Reverends ; 
but  the  days  have  gone  by  when  people  are  to  be  deceived  by  these 
false  glossings  of  Reverend's  sanctions ;  the  intelligent  part  of  the 
communities  of  all  parts  of  the  country,  know  that  Reverends  are 
not  more  notorious  for  truth  than  their  neighbors. 

"  The  only  reason  why  I  am  assailed  by  lies  is,  that  my  opposers 
dare  not  venture  on  argument,  knowing  that  if  they  do  they  fall. 
They  try,  therefore,  to  keep  the  public  from  investigating,  by  pub- 
lishing and  circulating  falsehoods.  This  I  consider  a  high  encomium 
on  both  myself  and  the  cause  I  defend.     Respectfully, 

"  S.  Rigdon." 

"We  believe  that  upon  this  evidence,  the  question  of  the  au- 
thorship of  the  original  romance  on  which  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon was  founded,  will  be  decided  by  the  reader  in  favor  of 
Solomon  Spaulding.     As  regards  the  Book  of  Mormon  itself, 


THE    BOOK    OF   MORMON.  49 

Joseph  Smith  and  the  vulgar  and  abusive  Sidney  Rigdon 
seem  to  have  acted  in  concert  in  its  concoction  from  materials 
thus  provided  for  them.  The  religious  matter  derived  from 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments  is  engrafted  upon  the  original 
romance  in  a  manner  that  shows  the  ignorant  and  the  illiter- 
ate workman.  Such  phrases  as  the  following  are  of  frequent 
occurrence  : — "  Ye  are  like  unto  they" — "  Do  as  ye  hath 
hitherto  done" — "  I — the  Lord  delighteth  in  the  chastity  of 
women" — "  I  saith  unto  them" — "  I  who  ye  call  your  King" 
— "  These  things  had  not  ought  to  be" — "  Ye  saith  unto  him" 
— "  For  a  more  history  part  are  written  upon  my  other  plates." 
Anachronisms  are  also  frequent ;  but  all  errors  of  grammar, 
all  anachronisms,  all  contradictions,  are  admitted  by  the  Mor- 
mons. They  allege  that  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  contain 
ungrammatical  passages,  and  yet  are  holy,  and  the  undoubted 
word  of  God ;  and  that  anachronisms  and  contradictions  do 
not  militate  against  the  plenary  inspiration  either  of  the  Bible 
or  of  the  Book  of  Mormon.  They  acknowledge  all  possible 
faults  and  objections  which  mere  critics  may  start ;  but  treat 
them  as  of  no  account.  Joseph  Smith,  they  say,  was  the 
chosen  vessel  of  grace,  and  it  was  not  necessary,  in  the  inscru- 
table purposes  of  the  Lord,  that  he  should  write  or  speak  cor- 
rect English  ;  or  that  he  should  not  make  a  few  human  mis- 
takes in  his  rendering  of  the  divine  word.  All  such  objections 
they  laugh  to  scorn. 

Joseph  Smith,  who,  on  all  occasions  of  doubt,  silenced  the 
uninformed,  and  amazed  the  educated,  by  the  boldness  of  his 
own  self-sufficiency,  and  the  boundless  resources  of  his  impu- 
dence, was  often  asked,  both  by  friends  and  foes,  the  meaning 
of  the  word  "  Mormon."  The  following  reply,  as  published 
in  a  letter  to  the  editor  of  the  Times  and  Seasons,  is  highly 
characteristic  : — 

'•  Sir, — Through  the  medium  of  your  paper,  I  wish  to  correct  an 
error  among  men  that  profess  to  be  learned,  liberal,  and  wise;  and 

4 


50  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

I  do  it  the  more  cheerfully,  because  I  hope  sober-thinking  and  sound 
reasoning  people  will  sooner  listen  to  the  voice  of  truth,  than  be  led 
astray  by  the  vain  pretensions  of  the  self-wise.  The  error  I  speak 
of  is  the  definition  of  the  word  '  Mormon.'  It  has  been  stated  that 
this  word  was  derived  from  the  Greek  word  mormo.  This  is  not 
the  case.  There  was  no  Greek  or  Latin  upon  the  plates  from  which 
I,  through  the  grace  of  God,  translated  the  Book  of  Mormon.  Let 
the  language  of  that  book  speak  for  itself.  On  the  523rd  page  of 
the  fourth  edition,  it  reads  : — s  And  now  behold  we  have  written  the 
record  according  to  our  knowledge  in  the  characters,  which  are 
called  among  us  the  Reformed  Egyptian,  being  handed  down  and 
altered  by  us  according  to  our  manner  of  speech ;  and  if  our  plates 
were  sufficiently  large,  we  should  have  written  in  Hebrew.  Behold 
ye  would  have  had  no  imperfections  in  our  record,  but  the  Lord 
knoweth  the  things  which  we  have  written,  and  also,  that  none 
other  people  knoweth  our  language ;  therefore  he  hath  prepared 
means  for  the  interpretation  thereof.' 

"  Here,  then,  the  subject  is  put  to  silence,  for  '  none  other  people 
knoweth  our  language  ;'  therefore  the  Lord,  and  not  man,  hath  to 
interpret,  after  the  people  were  all  dead.  And,  as  Paul  said,  '  the 
world  by  wisdom  know  not  God,'  and  the  world  by  speculation  are 
destitute  of  revelation  ;  and  as  God,  in  his  superior  wisdom,  has  al- 
ways given  his  saints,  wherever  he  had  any  on  the  earth,  the  same 
spirit,  and  that  spirit  (as  John  says)  is  the  true  spirit  of  prophecy, 
which  is  the  testimony  of  Jesus,  I  may  safely  say  that  the  word 
Mormon  stands  independent  of  the  learning  and  wisdom  of  this  gene- 
ration. Before  I  give  a  definition,  however,  to  the  word,  let  me  say 
that  the  Bible,  in  its  widest  sense,  means  good ;  for  the  Saviour 
says,  according  to  the  Gospel  of  St.  John, '  I  am  the  good  shepherd  ;' 
and  it  will  not  be  beyond  the  common  use  of  terms  to  say,  that  good 
is  amongst  the  most,  important  in  use,  and  though  known  by  various 
names  in  different  languages,  still  its  meaning  is  the  same,  and  is 
ever  in  opposition  to  bad.  We  say  from  the  Saxon,  good  ;  the 
Dane,  god ;  the  Goth,  goda;  the  German,  gut ;  the  Dutch,  goed;  the 
Latin,  bonus ;  the  Greek,  kalos ;  the  Hebrew,  lob;  and  the  Egyptian, 
mon.  Hence,  with  the  addition  of  more,  or  the  contraction  mor,  we 
have  the  word  Mormon,  which  means,  literally,  more  good.     Yours, 

"  Joseph  Smith." 


CHAPTEE  II. 

The  Book  of  Doctrines  and  Covenants;  oe,  the  "Revela- 
tions" of  Joseph  Smith — Mormon  Hymns  and  Poems — Ma- 
terialism— The  Aaeonic  and  Melohizedek  Priesthood — Con- 
fession of  Faith — Scenes  in  Leamington  and  "Wales. 

In  addition  to  the  Book  of  Mormon,  Joseph  Smith  origi- 
nated and  partly  composed  a  book  of  Doctrines  and  Cove- 
nants, purporting  to  be  direct  revelations  from  heaven  upon 
the  temporal  government  of  their  church,  the  support  of  the 
poor,  the  tithing  or  taxation  of  the  members,  the  establishment 
of  cities  and  temples,  the  allotment  of  lands,  the  emigration 
of  the  "  saints,''  the  education  of  the  people,  the  gathering  of 
moneys,  and  other  matters.  This  book  abounds  in  grammati- 
cal inaccuracies,  even  to  a  greater  extent  than  the  Book  of 
Mormon  : — "  God,  that  knowest  thy  thoughts" — "  a  literal 
descendant  of  Aaron" — "  an  hair  of  his  head  shall  not  fall" — 
"  your  Father  who  art  in  heaven  knoweth" — "  and  the  spirit 
and  the  body  is  the  soul  of  man" — "  the  stars  also  giveth  their 
light  as  they  roll  upon  their  wings  in  glory" — "  her  who  sit- 
teth  upon  many  waters" — "  thou  shalt  not  covet  thine  own 
property,  but  impart  it  freely  to  the  printing  of  the  Book  of 
Mormon" — form  but  a  sample  of  hundreds  of  similar  phrases 
that  might  be  culled,  were  it  worth  while.  A  few  specimens 
of  the  kind  of  "  Revelations,"  and  of  the  style  in  which  Joseph 
Smith  represented  the  Almighty  as  speaking  to  him  in  his 
early  revelations,  will  show  what  men  will  assert  and  believe 
under  the  influence  of  fanaticism.     The  following  is  part  of  a 


52  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

revelation  purporting  to  have  been  given  by  Jesus  Christ,  in 
February,  1831.  In  these  revelations  God  the  Father  and 
God  the  Son  are  invariably  represented  as  giving  Joseph  his 
proper  designation  of  Smith,  junior,  that  he  might  not  be 
mistaken  for  his  father,  Joseph  Smith,  senior : — 

"  Hearken,  oh,  ye  elders  of  my  church,  who  have  assembled  your- 
selves together  in  my  name,  even  Jesus  Christ,  the  son  of  the  living 
God,  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  Behold,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  I  give 
unto  you  this  first  commandment,  that  you  shall  go  forth  in  my  name, 
every  one  of  you,  except  my  servants,  Joseph  Smith,  jun.,  and  Sid- 
ney Rigdon.  ...  If  there  shall  be  properties  in  the  hands  of 
the  church,  or  any  individuals  of  it,  more  than  is  necessary  for  their 
support,  it  shall  be  kept  to  administer  to  those  who  have  not." 

The  following  is  part  of  a  revelation  given  to  Joseph 
Smith  in  March,  1829,  when  Martin  Harris  desired  to  see  the 
golden  plates,  and  before  he  was  deluded  with  the  paper 
transcript,  which  he  showed  to  Professor  Anthon.  It  will  be 
seen  that  Joseph  was  not  at  a  loss  to  parry  the  inconvenient 
curiosity  of  his  then  doubting,  but  afrerwards  faithful  dis- 
ciple : — 

"  Behold,  I  say  unto  you,  that  as  my  servant  Martin  Harris  has 
desired  a  witness  at  my  hand,  that  you  my  servant,  Joseph  Smith, 
jun.,  have  got  the  plates  of  which  you  have  testified  and  borne  rec- 
ord that  you  have  received  of  me  ;  and  now,  behold,  this  shall  you 
say  unto  him — '  He  who  spake  unto  you  said  unto  you,  I  the  Lord 
am  God,  and  have  given  those  things  unto  you,  my  servant,  Joseph 
Smith,  jun.,  and  have  commanded  you  that  you  should  stand  as  a 
witness  of  these  things  ;  and  I  have  caused  you  that  you  should  enter 
into  a  covenant  with  me  that  you  should  not  show  them  except  to  those 
persons  that  I  commanded  you ;  and  you  have  no  power  over  them  ex- 
cept I  grant  it  you.'  .  .  .  And  now,  again  I  speak  unto  you  my 
servant  Joseph,  concerning  the  man  that  denies  the  witness.  Be- 
hold, I  say  unto  him,  he  exalts  himself,  and  does  not  sufficiently 
humble  himself  before  me.     But  if  he  will  bow  down  before  me,  and 


JOSEPH'S  "revelations.  53 

humble  himself  in  mighty  prayer  and  faith,  in  the  sincerity  of  his 
heart,  then  will  I  grant  unto  him  a  view  of  the  things  which  he  de- 
sires to  see." 

Poor  Martin  Harris  never  got  the  promised  glimpse  of  the 
plates.  He  did  not  behave  himself  properly ;  and  Joseph 
found  an  opportunity  to  reprimand  and  quarrel  with  him. 
But,  in  fact,  Joseph  and  his  principal  assistant,  Sidney  Rig- 
don,  appear  to  have  quarrelled  with  the  "  witnesses."  The 
first  witness  to  the  truth  of  this  Book  of  Mormon  was  de- 
clared by  Smith  himself,  in  a  revelation  given  in  November, 
1831,  to  be  unfit  to  be  trusted  with  "  moneys  :" — 

"  Hearken  unto  me,  saith  the  Lord  your  God,  for  my  servant 
Oliver  Cowdery's  sake.  It  is  not  wisdom  in  me  that  he  should  be 
entrusted  with  the  commandments,  and  the  moneys  which  he  shall 
carry  into  the  land  of  Zion,  except  one  go  with  him  who  shall  be  true 
and  faithful." 

In  a  paper  drawn  up  "by  Sidney  Ptigdon  in  June,  1838, 
when  the  great  schism  took  place  in  the  church,  which  led  to 
the  secession  of  Dr.  Hurlbut,  and  the  exposure  made  by  Mrs. 
Davison,  it  is  stated  that  Oliver  Cowdery,  David  Whitmer, 
and  another,  were  united  with  a  gang  of  "  counterfeiters, 
thieves,  liars,  and  blacklegs  of  the  deepest  dye,  to  deceive, 
cheat,  and  defraud  the  saints."  Martin  Harris,  the  last  of 
the  three,  is  spoken  of,  at  the  time  of  the  schism,  by  Joseph 
himself,  in  the  following  terms,  in  a  paper  called  the  Elder's 
Journal : — "  There  are  negroes  who  wear  white  skins,  as 
well  as  black  ones.  Grames  Parish  and  others  who  acted  as 
lackies,  such  as  Martin  Harris,  &c,  but  they  are  so  far  be- 
neath contempt  that  a  notice  of  them  would  be  too  great  a 
sacrifice  for  a  gentleman  to  make." 

While,  by  means  of  "  revelations,"  those  who  were  not 
longer  to  be  trusted  were  pointed  out  to  the  notice  and  con- 
demnation of  true  believers,  Joseph  Smith  took  care  to  have 


54  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

special  "  revelations"  upon  matters  relating  to  his  own  com- 
fort. "  It  is  meet,"  says  a  'revelation'  of  the  Lord  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1831,  "that  my  servant  Joseph  Smith,  jun.,  should 
have  a  house  built,  in  which  to  live  and  translate."  A  sec- 
ond "  revelation"  of  the  same  month  says  :  "If  ye  desire  the 
mysteries  of  my  kingdom,  provide  for  him  (Joseph  Smith, 
jun.)  food  and  raiment,  and  whatsoever  thing  he  needeth." 
Nor  was  Joseph,  according  to  the  "  Revelations,"  to  labor  for 
his  living.  "  In  temporal  labors,"  says  another  "  revelation" 
of  July,  1830,  "  thou  shalt  not  have  strength  ;  for  that  is  not 
thy  calling.  Attend  to  thy  calling,  and  thou  shalt  have 
wherewith  to  magnify  thine  office,  and  to  expound  all  scrip- 
tures." 

In  a  revelation  given  to  Joseph  Smith  and  Sidney  Uigdon, 
in  December,  1830,  when  the  scheme  was  yet  in  its  first  in- 
fancy, the  Lord  is  represented  as  saying  : — 

"  Behold,  verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  my  servant  Sidney,  I  have 
looked  upon  thee  and  thy  works.  I  have  heard  thy  prayers,  and  pre- 
pared thee  for  a  great  work.  Thou  art  blessed,  for  thou  shalt  do 
great  things.  Behold  thou  wast  sent  forth,  even  as  John,  to  prepare 
the  way  before  me,  and  before  Elijah,  which  should  come,  and  thou 
knew  it  not.  Thou  didst  baptize  by  water  unto  repentance,  but  thou 
receivedst  not  the  Holy  Ghost ;  but  now  I  give  unto  thee  a  com- 
mandment, that  thou  shalt  baptize  by  water,  and  they  shall  receive 
the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of  the  hands,  even  as  the  apostles 
of  old. 

"  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  there  shall  be  a  great  work  in 
the  land,  even  among  the  Gentiles  :  for  their  folly  and  abominations 
shall  be  made  manifest  in  the  eyes  of  all  people  ;  for  I  am  God,  and 
mine  arm  is  not  shortened,  and  I  will  show  miracles,  signs,  and  won- 
ders, unto  all  those  who  believe  in  my  name.  And  whoso  shall  ask 
in  my  name,  in  faith,  they  shall  cast  out  devils,  they  shall  heal  the 
sick,  they  shall  cause  the  blind  to  receive  their  sight,  and  the  deaf  to 
hear,  and  the  dumb  to  speak,  and  the  lame  to  walk ;  and  the  time 
speedily  cometh,  that  great  things  are  to  be  shown  forth  unto  the 


JOSEPH'S  "revelations."  55 

children  of  men ;  but  without  faith  shall  not  anything  be  shown 
forth,  except  desolations  upon  Babylon — the  same  which  has  made 
all  nations  drink  of  the  wine  of  the  wrath  of  her  fornication.  And 
there  are  none  that  doeth  good,  except  those  who  are  ready  to  receive 
the  fulness  of  my  Gospel,  which  I  have  sent  forth  to  this  generation. 

"  Wherefore,  I  have  called  upon  the  weak  things  of  the  world — 
those  who  are  unlearned  and  despised,  to  thresh  the  nations  by  the 
power  of  my  Spirit :  and  their  arms  shall  be  my  arm,  and  I  will  be 
their  shield  and  their  buckler,  and  I  will  gird  up  their  loins,  and  they 
shall  fight  manfully  for  me,  and  their  enemies  shall  be  under  their 
feet ;  and  I  will  let  fall  the  sword  in  their  behalf,  and  by  the  fire  of 
mine  indignation  will  I  preserve  them.  And  the  poor  and  the  meek 
shall  have  the  Gospel  preached  unto  them,  and  they  shall  be  looking 
forth  for  the  time  of  my  coming,  for  it  is  nigh  at  hand  :  and  they 
shall  learn  the  parable  of  the  fig-tree  :  for  even  now  already  sum- 
mer is  nigh,  and  I  have  sent  forth  the  fulness  of  the  Gospel  by  the 
hand  of  my  servant  Joseph  :  and  in  weakness  have  I  blessed  him, 
and  I  have  given  unto  him  the  keys  of  the  mystery  of  those  things 
which  have  been  sealed,  even  things  which  were  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world,  and  the  things  which  shall  come  from  this  time  until 
the  time  of  my  coming,  if  he  abide  in  me  ;  and  if  not,  another  will  I 
plant  in  his  stead. 

"  Wherefore,  watch  over  him,  that  his  faith  fail  not ;  and  it  shall 
be  given  by  the  Comforter,  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  knoweth  all  things : 
and  a  commandment  I  give  unto  thee,  that  thou  shalt  write  for  him  : 
and  the  Scriptures  shall  be  given,  even  as  they  are  in  mine  own 
bosom,  to  the  salvation  of  mine  own  elect ;  for  they  will  he.ar  my 
voice,  and  shall  see  me,  and  shall  not  be  asleep,  and  shall  abide  the 
day  of  my  coming,  for  they  shall  be  purified,  even  as  I  am  pure. 
And  now  I  say  unto  thee,  tarry  with  him,  and  he  shall  journey  with 
you ; — forsake  him  not,  and  surely  these  things  shall  be  fulfilled. 
And  inasmuch  as  ye  do  not  write,  behold  it  shall  be  given  unto  him 
to  prophesy :  and  thou  shalt  preach  my  Gospel,  and  call  upon  the 
holy  prophets  to  prove  his  words,  as  they  shall  be  given  him.  Keep 
all  the  commandments  and  covenants  by  which  ye  are  bound,  and  I 
will  cause  the  heavens  to  shake  for  your  good  :  and  Satan  shall 
tremble,  and  Zion  shall  rejoice  upon  the  hills  and  flourish ;  and 
Israel  shall  be  saved  in  mine  own  due  time.     And  by  the  keys  which 


56  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

I  have  given,  shall  they  be  led,  and  no  more  be  confounded  at  ati. 
Lift  up  your  heads  and  be  glad  :  your  redemption  draweth  nigh. 
Fear  not,  little  flock — the  kingdom  is  yours  until  I  come.  Behold, 
I  come  quickly  :  even  so.     Amen." 

In  another  revelation,  also  given  in  December,  1830,  the 
voice  of  the  Lord  to  Edward  Partridge  was  : — 

"  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  the  mighty  one  of  Israel,  Behold,  I 
say  unto  you,  my  servant  Edward,  that  you  are  blessed,  and  your 
sins  are  forgiven  you,  and  you  are  called  to  preach  my  Gospel  as 
with  the  voice  of  a  trumpet ;  and  I  will  lay  my  hand  upon  you  by 
the  hand  of  my  servant  Sidney  Rigdon,  and  you  shall  receive  my 
Spirit,  the  Holy  Ghost,  even  the  Comforter,  which  shall  teach  you 
the  peaceable  tilings  of  the  kingdom  :  and  you  shall  declare  it  with  a 
loud  voice,  saying,  Hosannah,  blessed  be  the  name  of  the  most  high 
God. 

"  And  now  this  calling  and  commandment  give  I  unto  you  con- 
cerning all  men,  that  as  many  as  shall  come  before  my  servants 
Sidney  Rigdon  and  Joseph  Smith  jun.,  embracing  this  calling  and 
commandment,  shall  be  ordained  and  sent  forth  to  preach  the  ever- 
lasting Gospel  among  the  nations,  crying,  Repentance  :  saying, 
Save  yourselves  from  this  untoward  generation,  and  come  forth  out 
of  the  fire,  hating  even  the  garments  spotted  with  the  flesh. 

"  And  this  commandment  shall  be  given  unto  the  elders  of  my 
church,  that  every  man  which  will  embrace  it  with  singleness  of 
heart,  may  be  ordained  and  sent  forth,  even  as  I  have  spoken.  I  am 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God  :  wherefore  gird  up  your  loins,  and  I 
will  suddenly  come  to  my  temple  :  even  so.     Amen." 

An  extract  from  one  more  "  revelation"  will  suffice  for  the 
present.  It  purports  to  have  been  given,  in  July,  1830,  to 
Emma  Smith,  the  wife  of  Joseph,  through  Joseph  himself: — 

"  The  office  of  thy  calling  shall  be  for  a  comfort  unto  my  servant 
Joseph  Smith,  jun.,  thy  husband.  And  thou  shalt  go  with  him  at 
the  time  of  his  going,  and  be  unto  him  for  a  scribe,  while  there  is  no 
one  to  be  a  scribe  for  him,  that  I  may  send  my  servant  Oliver  Cow- 


MORMON    HYMNS. 


57 


dery  whithersoever  I  will.  And  it  shall  be  given  to  thee  also  to 
make  a  selection  of  sacred  hymns,  as  it  shall  be  given  thee,  which 
is  pleasing  unto  me  to  be  had  in  my  church." 

The  hymn-book  of  Emma  Smith  does  not  appear  to  have 
been  published  ;  but  a  little  hymn-book,  containing  hymns 
selected  by  Brigham  Young,  the  present  head  of  the  church, 
and.  successor  of  Joseph  Smith,  has  gone  through  eight  edi- 
tions. The  eighth  was  published  in  Liverpool,  in  1849.  A 
few  extracts  will  not  be  out  of  place.  The  following  hymn, 
which  is  sometimes  sung  on  shipboard  in  Liverpool  prior  to 
the  departure  of  Mormon  emigrants,  is,  in  point  of  literary 
merit,  among  the  best  in  the  volume  : — 

"  Yes,  my  native  land,  I  love  thee  ; 

All  thy  scenes,  I  love  them  well ; 
Friends,  connections,  happy  country, 
Can  I  bid  you  all  farewell  ? 
Can  I  leave  thee, 
Far  in  distant  lands  to  dwell  ? 

"Home  !  thy  joys  are  passing  lovely, 
Joys  no  stranger  heart  can  tell ; 
Happy  home !  'tis  sure  I  love  thee, 
Can  I — can  I — say  '  Farewell  ?' 

Can  I  leave  thee, 
Far  in  distant  lands  to  dwell  ? 

"  Holy  scenes  of  joy  and  gladness 
Every  fond  emotion  swell ; 
Can  I  banish  heartfelt  sadness, 

While  I  bid  my  home  farewell  ? 

Can  I  leave  thee, 
Far  in  distant  lands  to  dwell  ? 

"  Yes !  I  hasten  from  you  gladly, 

From  the  scenes  I  love  so  well ; 


58  HISTORY    OF   THE   MORMONS. 

Far  away,  ye  billows,  bear  me, 
Lovely  native  land,  farewell ! 
Pleased  I  leave  thee, 
Far  in  distant  lands  to  dwell. 

"  In  the  deserts  let  me  labor, 

On  the  mountains  let  me  tell 
How  he  died — the  blessed  Saviour, 
To  redeem  a  world  from  hell ! 

Let  me  hasten, 
Far  in  distant  lands  to  dwell ! 

"  Bear  me  on,  thou  restless  ocean, 

Let  the  winds  my  canvas  swell ; 
Heaves  my  heart  with  warm  emotion, 
While  I  go  far  hence  to  dwell ! 

Glad  I  bid  thee, 
Native  land,  farewell !  farewell !" 

The  next  is  a  hymn  for  the  Twelve  Apostles,  who  have 
been  sent  to  different  parts  of  Europe,  to  "  gather"  the  Saints 
to  the  Salt  Lake  Valley  in  Deseret : — 

"  Ye  chosen  twelve,  to  ye  are  given 

The  keys  of  this  last  ministry — 
To  every  nation  under  heaven, 

From  land  to  land,  from  sea  to  sea. 

"  First  to  the  Gentiles  sound  the  news, 

Throughout  Columbia's  happy  land  ; 
And  then  before  it  reach  the  Jews, 

Prepare  on  Europe's  shores  to  stand. 

"  Let  Europe's  towns  and  cities  hear 

The  Gospel  tidings  angels  bring; 
The  Gentile  nations  far  and  near, 

Prepare  their  hearts  His  praise  to  sing. 

"  India  and  Afric's  sultry  plains 

Must  hear  the  tidings  as  they  roll — 


MORMON    HYMNS.  59 

Where  darkness,  death,  and  sorrow  reign, 
And  tyranny  has  held  control. 

"  Listen !  ye  islands  of  the  sea, 

For  every  isle  shall  hear  the  sound ; 
Nations  and  tongues  before  unknown, 

Though  long  since  lost,  shall  soon  be  found. 

"  And  then  again  shall  Asia  hear, 

Where  angels  first  the  news  proclaimed  ; 
Eternity  shall  record  bear, 

And  earth  repeat  the  loud  Amen. 

"  The  nations  catch  the  pleasing  sound, 

And  Jew  and  Gentile  swell  the  strain, 
Hosannah  o'er  the  earth  resound, 

Messiah  then  will  come  to  reign." 

Many  of  their  fugitive  hymns  and  songs,  not  included  in 
their  hymn-book,  are  adapted  to  popular  tunes,  such  as  "  The 
sea,  the  sea,  the  open  sea;"  "Away,  away  to  the  mountain's 
brow,"  &c.  One  to  the  first-mentioned  tune  is  inserted  in  the 
Times  and  Seasons,  page  895,  and  commences : — 

"  The  sky,  the  sky,  the  clear  blue  sky, 
Oh,  how  I  love  to  gaze  upon  it ! 
The  upper  realms  of  deep  on  high, 

I  wonder  when  the  Lord  begun  it !" 

The  following  additional  specimens  of  Mormon  devotional 
poetry  appear  in  their  authorized  organ,  the  Times  and  Sea- 
sons. The  first  is  sung  to  the  tune  of  a  pirate  song  by  Mr. 
Henry  Russell,  called,  "  I'm  afloat,  I'm  afloat,"  and  written 
by  Miss  Eliza  Cook  : — 

"  I'm  a  Saint,  I'm  a  Saint,  on  the  rough  world  wide, 
The  earth  is  my  home,  and  my  God  is  my  guide ! 
Up,  up  with  the  truth,  let  its  power  bend  the  knee  : 
I  am  sent,  I  am  sent,  and  salvation  is  free. 


CO  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

I  fear  not  old  priestcraft,  its  dogmas  can't  awe : 
I've  a  chart  for  to  steer  by,  that  tells  me  the  law, — 
And  ne'er  as  a  coward  to  falsehood  I'll  kneel, 
While  Mormon  tells  truth,  or  God's  prophets  reveal ! 
Up,  up  with  the  truth,  let  its  power  touch  the  mind, 
And  I'll  warrant  we'll  soon  leave  the  selfish  behind. 
Up,  up  with  the  truth,  let  its  power  bend  the  knee, 
I  am  sent !  I  am  sent !  dying  Bab'lon,  to  thee, 
I  am  sent !  I  am  sent !  take  this  warning  and  flee. 

"  The  arm  of  the  tyrant,  fell  terror  may  spread, 
Yet,  tho'  they  oppose  us,  their  strongholds  we'll  tread ; 
What  to  us  is  the  scorn  of  the  selfish  and  vain  ? 
We  have  borne  it  before,  and  we'll  bear  it  again. 
The  fire-gleaming  bolts  of  oppression  may  fall, 
And  kill  off  the  body,  death  can't  us  appal ! 
With  Heaven  above  us,  and  all  Hell  below, 
Through  the  wide  field  of  error,  right  onward  we'll  go ! 
Come  on  !  my  brave  comrades,  now's  the  time  you  should  speak, 
The  storm-fiend  is  roused  from  his  long  dreamy  sleep. 
Our  watchword,  for  safety  in  Zion,  shall  be, 
I  am  sent !  I  am  sent !  dying  Bab'lon,  to  thee, — 
I  am  sent !  I  am  sent !  take  this  warning  and  flee." 

But  the  following,  to  the  tune  of  "  The  rose  that  all  are 
praising,"  is,  perhaps,  the  most  characteristic  ;  and  with  it  we 
may  conclude  the  specimens  of  Mormon  devotional  poetry  : — 

"  The  God  that  others  worship  is  not  the  God  for  me ; 
He  has  no  parts  nor  body,  and  cannot  hear  nor  see ; 
But  I've  a  God  that  lives  above — 
A  God  of  Power  and  of  Love — 
A  God  of  Revelation — oh,  that's  the  God  for  me ; 
Oh,  that's  the  God  for  me ;  oh,  that's  the  God  for  me ! 

"  A  church  without  apostles  is  not  the  church  for  me ; 
It's  like  a  ship  dismasted,  afloat  upon  the  sea ; 
But  I've  a  church  that's  always  led 
By  the  twelve  stars  around  its  head  ; 


FAITH    OF    THE    LATTER-DAY    SAINTS.  61 

A  church  with  good  foundations — oh,  that's  the  church  for  me ; 
Oh,  that's  the  thurch  for  me ;  oh,  that's  the  church  for  me  ! 

"  A  church  without  a  prophet  is  not  the  church  for  me  ; 
It  has  no  head  to  lead  it,  in  it  I  would  not  be  ; 
But  I've  a  church  not  built  by  man, 
Cut  from  the  mountain  without  hands  ; 
A  church  with  gifts  and  blessings — oh,  that's  the  church  for  me ; 
Oh,  that's  the  church  for  me  ;  oh,  that's  the  church  for  me  ! 

"  The  hope  that  Gentiles  cherish  is  not  the  hope  for  me ; 
It  has  no  hope  for  knowledge,  far  from  it  I  would  be ; 

But  I've  an  hope  that  will  not  fail, 

That  reaches  safe  within  the  veil ; 
Which  hope  is  like  an  anchor — oh,  that's  the  hope  for  me ; 
Oh,  that's  the  hope  for  me  ;  oh,  that's  the  hope  for  me  ! 

"  The  heaven  of  sectarians  is  not  the  heaven  for  me  ; 

So  doubtful  its  location,  neither  on  land  nor  sea ; 
But  I've  an  heaven  on  the  earth, 
The  land  and  home  that  gave  me  birth  ; 

A  heaven  of  light  and  knowledge — oh,  that's  the  heaven  for  me ; 

Oh,  that's  the  heaven  for  me  ;  oh,  that's  the  heaven  for  me ! 

"  A  church  without  a  gathering  is  not  the  church  for  me  ; 
The  Saviours  would  not  order  it,  whatever  it  might  be ; 

But  I've  a  church  that's  called  out, 

From  false  traditions,  fear,  and  doubt, 
A  gathering  dispensation — oh,  that's  the  church  for  me  ; 
Oh,  that's  the  church  for  me ;  oh,  that's  the  church  for  me  !" 

The  following  summary  of  the  Mormon  creed  is  given  in 
their  own   periodicals,   as   the  recognized  "  Faith   of  the 

LATTER-DAY  SAINTS." 

"  We  believe  in  God  the  eternal  Father,  and  his  Son  Jesus  Christ, 
and  in  the  Holy  Ghost. 

"  We  believe  that  men  will  be  punished  for  their  own  sins,  and 
not  for  Adam's  transgressions. 


62  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

"  We  believe  that  through  the  atonement  of  Christ  all  mankind 
may  be  saved,  by  obedience  to  the  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  Gospel. 

"  We  believe  that  these  ordinances  are  : — 1st,  Faith  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  2d,  Repentance.  3d,  Baptism  by  immersion  for  the 
remission  of  sins.  4th,  Laying  on  of  hands  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.     5th,  The  Lord's  Supper. 

"  We  believe  that  men  must  be  called  of  God  by  inspiration,  and 
by  laying  on  of  hands  by  those  who  are  duly  commissioned  to  preach 
the  Gospel,  and  administer  in  the  ordinances  thereof. 

"  We  believe  in  the  same  organization  that  existed  in  the  primitive 
church,  viz.,  apostles,  prophets,  pastors,  teachers,  evangelists,  &c. 

"  We  believe  in  the  powers  and  gifts  of  the  everlasting  Gospel, 
viz.,  the  gift  of  faith,  discerning  of  spirits,  prophecy,  revelation, 
visions,  healing,  tongues  and  the  interpretation  of  tongues,  wisdom, 
charity,  brotherly  love,  &c. 

"  We  believe  in  the  Word  of  God  recorded  in  the  Bible  ;  we  also 
believe  the  Word  of  God  recorded  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  in 
all  other  good  books. 

"  We  believe  all  that  God  has  revealed  ;  all  that  he  does  now  re- 
veal ;  and  we  believe  that  he  will  yet  reveal  many  more  great  and 
important  things  pertaining  to  the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  Messiah's 
second  coming. 

"We  believe  in  the  literal  gathering  of  Israel,  and  in  the  restora- 
tion of  the  ten  tribes ;  that  Zion  will  be  established  upon  the  west- 
ern continent ;  that  Christ  will  reign  personally  upon  the  earth  a 
thousand  years  ;  and  that  the  earth  will  be  renewed,  and  receive  its 
paradisaical  glory. 

"  We  believe  in  the  literal  resurrection  of  the  body,  and  that  the 
dead  in  Christ  will  rise  first,  and  that  the  rest  of  the  dead  live  not 
again  until  the  thousand  years  are  expired. 

"  We  claim  the  privilege  of  worshipping  Almighty  God  according 
to  the  dictates  of  our  conscience  unmolested,  and  allow  all  men  the 
same  privilege,  let  them  worship  how  or  where  they  may. 

"  We  believe  in  being  subject  to  kings,  queens,  presidents,  rulers, 
and  magistrates,  in  obeying,  honoring,  and  sustaining  the  law. 

"  We  believe  in  being  honest,  true,  chaste,  temperate,  benevolent, 
virtuous,  and  upright,  and  in  doing  good  to  all  men ;  indeed,  we  may 
say  that  we  follow  the  admonition  of  Paul,  we  'believe  all  things,' 


FAITH    OF   THE    LATTER-DAY    SAINTS.  63 

we  ■  hope  all  things,'  we  have  endured  very  many  things,  and  hope 
to  be  able  to '  endure  all  things.'  Everything  virtuous,  lovely,  praise- 
worthy, and  of  good  report,  we  seek  after,  looking  forward  to  the 
'  recompense  of  reward.'  " 

The  Mormons  recognize  two  orders  of  priesthood,  the 
"  Aaronic"  and  the  "  Melchizedek."  They  are  governed  by  a 
prophet  or  president,  twelve  apostles,  the  "  seventies,"  and  a 
number  of  bishops,  high-priests,  deacons,  elders,  and  teachers  ; 
they  assert,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  last  hymn,  and  their  Con- 
fession of  Faith,  that  the  gifts  of  prophecy  and  the  power  of 
working  miracles  have  not  ceased  ;  that  Joseph  Smith  and 
many  other  Mormons  wrought  miracles  and  cast  out  devils  ; 
that  the  end  of  the  world  is  close  at  end  ;  and  that  they  are 
the  "  saints"  spoken  of  in  the  Apocalypse,  who  will  reign  with 
Christ  in  a  temporal  kingdom  in  this  world.  They  assert 
also,  in  more  precise  terms  than  they  employ  in  their  printed 
"  Confession  of  Faith,"  that  the  seat  of  this  kingdom  is  to  be 
either  Missouri — the  place  originally  intended — or  their  pres- 
ent location  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley  of  Deseret.  They 
allege  that  their  Book  of  Mormon  and  the  "Doctrine"  and 
"  Covenants"  form  the  fulness  of  the  Gospel ;  that  they  take 
nothing  from  the  Old  or  the  New  Testament,  both  of  which 
they  complete.  They  seem,  however,  not  to  have  formed  the 
same  ideas  of  God  which  are  promulgated  in  the  Gospel,  but 
to  acknowledge  a  material  deity.  This  idea  appears  in  the 
song  or  hymn  to  the  tune  of  "  The  rose  that  all  are  praising," 
already  quoted  ;  but  is  stated  more  broadly  in  the  Times  and 
Seasons,  and  other  works.  The  following  extract  from  the 
authorized  document,  signed  by  Orson  Spencer,  one  of  the 
apostles  of  the  church,  gives  the  views  of  the  sect  upon  this 
and  other  subjects  : — "  In  some,  and  indeed  in  many  respects, 
do  we  differ  from  some  sectarian  denominations.  We  believe 
that  God  is  a  being  who  hath  both  body  and  parts,  and  also 


04  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

passions.  Also  of  the  existence  of  the  gifts,  in  the  true  church, 
spoken  of  in  Paul's  letter  to  the  Corinthians.  I  do  not  believe 
that  the  career  of  Sacred  Scripture  was  closed  with  the  Reve- 
lation of  John,  but  that  wherever  God  has  a  true  church, 
there  he  makes  frequent  revelations  of  his  will  ;  and  as  God 
takes  cognizance  of  all  things,  both  temporal  and  spiritual, 
his  revelations  will  pertain  to  all  things  whereby  his  glory 
may  be  promoted." 

Joseph  Smith  is  more  explicit.  The  following  passage  oc- 
curs in  the  Millemiial  Star,  vol.  vi.,  under  the  "prophet's" 
authority,  and  signed  with  his  name  : — 

';  What  is  God  ?  He  is  a  material  organized  intelligence,  possess- 
ing both  body  and  parts.  He  is  in  the  form  of  a  man,  and  is,  in  fact, 
of  the  same  species,  and  is  a  model  or  standard  of  perfection,  to 
which  man  is  destined  to  attain,  he  being  the  Great  Father  and 
Head  of  the  whole  family.  This  being  cannot  occupy  two  distinct 
places  at  once,  therefore  he  cannot  be  everywhere  present. 

"  What  are  angels  ?  They  are  intelligences  of  the  human  spe- 
cies. Many  of  them  are  the  offspring  of  Adam  and  Eve — of  men, 
it  is  said, '  being  Gods,  or  sons  of  God,  endowed  with  the  same  pow- 
ers, attributes,  and  capacities,  that  their  Heavenly  Father  and  Jesus 
Christ  possess.' 

"  The  weakest  child  of  God,  which  now  exists  upon  the  earth, 
will  possess  more  dominion,  more  property,  more  subjects,  and  more 
power  and  glory,  than  is  possessed  by  Jesus  Christ  or  by  his  Father ; 
while,  at  the  same  time,  Jesus  Christ  and  his  Father  will  have  their 
dominion,  kingdom,  and  subjects,  increased  in  proportion."* 

*  The  following  extracts  from  The  hatter-Day  Saints'  Catechism,  or 
Child's  Ladder,  by  Elder  David  Moffat,  explain  still  more  fully  the 
ideas  of  the  Mormons  on  this  subject.— 

"28.   What  is  Gad? 

He  is  a  material  intelligent  personage,  possessing  both  body  and 
parts. 

29.  Could  he  be  a  being  without  body  and  parts  ? 
No.     Verily,  no. 

30.  What  form  is  he  of? 


FAITH    OF    THE    LATTER-DAY    SAINTS.  65 

He  is  in  the  form  of  man,  or  rather  man  is  in  the  form  of  God. 

31.  Where  do  you  find  these  proofs  ? 

In  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament. 

32.  Can  you  prove,  then,  that  man  is  in  the  form  of  God  ? 

Yes.  Genesis  v.  1.  In  the  day  that  God  created  man,  in  the  likeness 
of  God  made  he  him. 

33.  Can  you  mention  the  parts  of  his  body  from  the  Scriptures  ? 

Yes.  Exodus  xxxiii.  22,  23.  And  I  will  cover  thee  with  my  hand ; 
and  I  will  take  away  my  hand,  and  thou  shalt  see  my  back  parts,  but 
my  face  shall  not  be  seen. 

34.  Can  you  mention  any  more  parts  of  his  body? 

Yes.  Exodus  xxiv.  10.  And  they  saw  the  God  of  Israel,  and  there 
was  under  his  feet  as  it  were  a  paved  work  of  a  sapphire  stone. 

35.  Did  ever  any  man  speak  face  to  face  with  God? 
Yes. 

36.  To  whom  did  he  speak  ? 
To  Moses. 

37.  Can  you  repeat  it  ? 

Yes.  Exodus  xxxiii.  11.  And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  face  to 
face,  as  a  man  speaketh  to  his  friend. 

38.  As  the  God  of  Heaven  possesses  body  and  parts,  does  he  also  possess 
passions  ? 

Yes.     He  eats,  he  drinks,  he  loves,  he  hates. 

39.  Where  have  you  an  account  of  his  eating? 

When  he  appeared  to  his  servant  Abraham  on  the  plains  of  Mamre. 
Genesis  xviii. 

39.  Did  Abraham  know  that  the  Lord  desired  to  eat  when  he  appeared 
unto  him. 

Yes.  Gen.  xviii.  5.  And  I  will  fetch  a  morsel  of  bread,  and  comfort 
ye  your  hearts,  for  therefore  are  ye  come  to  your  servant. 

40.  Can  you  point  out  the  object  of  his  love  ? 

Yes.  Malachi  i.  2.  Was  not  Esau  Jacob's  brother,  saith  the  Lord, 
yet  I  love  Jacob. 

41.  What  were  the  things  of  his  hatred? 
The  palaces  of  Jacob. 

42.  Can  you  prove  it  ? 

Yes.  Amos  vi.  8.  The  Lord  hath  sworn  by  himself,  saith  the  Lord 
of  Hosts,  I  abhor  the  excellency  of  Jacob,  and  hate  his  palaces. 

43.  Can  this  Being  ( God)  occupy  two  distinct  places  at  once  ? 
No. 


6Q  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

44.  Can  he  move  from  planet  to  planet  with  facility  and  ease  ? 

Yes.    Genesis  xi.  5.  And  the  Lord  came  down  to  see  the  city  and 
the  tower  which  the  children  of  men  builded. 

45.  With  whom  did  the  Lord  converse  ? 
With  his  servant  Abraham. 

46.  Upon  what  things  did  they  converse  ? 

About  the  destruction  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah.  * 

47.  Doth  the  Lord  also  reason  with  man  ? 

Yes.    Isaiah  i.  18.  Come  let  us  reason  together,  saith  the  Lord." 


CHAPTER  III. 

Fiest  Persecutions  of  the  Sect — Exploeatory  Journey  to 
the  Far  West — Establishment  in  Missouri — The  Prophet 
"  Lynched"  by  the  Populace — Quarrels  with  the  "  Gen- 
tiles"— The  New  Zion — Persecutions  in  Missouri. 

The  truth  that  no  absurdity  of  fanaticism  is  too  outrageous 
to  attract  believers,  finds  continual  corroboration.  The  learned 
and  the  unlearned,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  gentle  and  the 
simple,  alike  break  through  the  trammels  of  reason,  and  be- 
come the  dupes  of  religious  impostors,  or  of  persons  who  are 
still  more  dangerous — the  religious  maniacs,  who  strengthen 
their  cause  by  their  own  conscientious  belief  in  it.  To  which- 
ever of  these  two  classes  Joseph  Smith  is  most  properly  con- 
signable,  it  is  certain  that  bis  doctrine  was  no  sooner  preached 
than  he  began  to  make  converts  of  the  people  around  him. 
The  idea  of  the  "  Latter  Days,"  or  days  immediately  prior  to 
the  second  coming  of  Christ  to  establish  the  Millennium,  is  one 
that  has  a  great  hold  upon  the  imagination  of  large  classes  of 
persons.  Joseph  Smith  worked  upon  this  idea,  and  every 
earthquake  recorded  in  the  newspapers,  every  new  comet  dis- 
covered, every  falling  meteor  that  was  observed,  every  war  and 
rumor  of  a  war  in  Europe  or  America,  every  monstrous  birth 
among  inferior  animals,  every  great  public  calamity,  tempest, 
fire,  or  explosion,  was  skilfully  and  pertinaciously  adduced  as 
a  proof  and  a  warning  of  the  "Latter  Days."  He  had  two 
great  elements  of  success  in  his  favor,  sufficient  novelty  and 
unconquerable  perseverance.     His  doctrine  was  both  old  and 


68  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

new.  It  had  sufficient  of  the  old  to  attract  those  who  would 
have  been  repelled  by  a  creed  entirely  new,  and  it  had  suffi- 
cient of  the  new  to  rivet  the  attention  and  inflame  the  ima- 
gination of  those  on  whose  minds  an  old  creed,  however  ably 
preached,  would  have  fallen  and  taken  no  root.  Basing  his 
doctrine  upon  isolated  passages  of  the  Bible  ;  claiming  direct 
inspiration  from  the  Almighty  ;  promising  possession  of  the 
earth,  all  temporal  power  and  glory,  and  the  blessing  of 
Heaven  upon  true  believers  ;  and  being  gifted  with  a  courage 
and  audacity  that  despised  difficulty  and  danger  ;  Joseph 
Smith  soon  found  himself  the  recognized  head  of  a  small  but 
increasing  body  of  ardent  disciples.  On  the  1st  of  June,  1830, 
the  first  conference  of  the  sect,  as  an  organized  church,  was 
held  at  Fayette,  which  place  was  for  some  time  the 
"  prophet's"  residence,  and  the  head-quarters  of  the  sect. 
The  numbers  of  the  believers,  including  the  whole  family  of 
the  Smiths,  was  thirty.  Even  at  this  early  period  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  sect,  they  met  considerable  opposition  from  the 
people.'  Joseph  ordered  the  construction  of  a  dam  across  a 
stream  of  water,  for  the  purpose  of  baptizing  his  disciples.  A 
mob  collected,  and  broke  it  down,  and  used  language  towards 
Joseph  that  was  anything  but  flattering  to  him  or  his  follow- 
ers, threatening  him  with  violence  and  assassination,  and  ac- 
cusing him  of  robbery  and  swindling.  He  was  nothing  daunt- 
ed, however.  With  a  rare  tact,  as  Avell  as  courage,  he  broke 
the  keen  edge  of  detraction,  by  confessing  boldly  that  he  had 
once  led  an  improper  and  immoral  life  ;  but,  unworthy  as  he 
was,  "the  Lord  had  chosen  him — had  forgiven  him  all  his 
sins,  and  intended,  in  his  own  inscrutable  purposes,  to  make 
mm — weak  and  erring  as  he  might  have  been — the  instru- 
ment of  his  glory."  Unlettered  and  comparatively  ignorant 
he  acknowledged  himself  to  be  ;  but  then — was  not  St.  Peter 
illiterate  ?  Were  not  St.  John,  and  the  other  apostles  of 
Christ,  men  of  low  birth  and  mean  position,  before  they  were 


EXPEDITION    TO    MISSOURI.  69 

called  to  the  ministry  ?  And  what  had  been  done  before, 
might  it  not  be  done  again,  if  God  willed  it  ?  By  arguments 
like  these,  he  strengthened  the  faith  of  those  inclined  to  be- 
lieve in  the  divinity  of  his  mission,  and  foiled  the  logic  of  his 
opponents.  But  the  more  difficult  that  it  became  for  the 
preachers  of  rival  sects  to  meet  him  on  Scriptural  grounds, 
and  to  disprove  his  pretensions,  either  by  his  unworthiness  as 
a  man — which  he  owned,  or  his  incompetency  as  a  scholar — 
which  he  as  freely  admitted,  the  more  virulent  became  their 
animosity  ;  until,  at  last,  the  family  of  the  Smiths,  father  and 
brothers,  who  all  joined  in  the  scheme  of  Joseph  for  founding 
a  new  religion,  removed  from  Palmyra  and  Fayetteville  to 
Kirtland,  in  Ohio.  The  attention  of  the  little  band  was  di- 
rected, from  the  commencement  of  their  organization,  to  the 
policy  and  expediency  of  fixing  their  head-quarters  in  the  Far 
West,  in  the  thinly  settled  and  but  partially  explored  territo- 
ries belonging  to  the  United  States,  where  they  might  squat 
upon,  or  purchase  good  lands  at  a  cheap  rate,  and  clear  the 
primeval  wilderness.  They  required  "  elbow  room,"  and 
rightly  judged  that  a  rural  population  would  be  more  favor- 
able than  an  urban  one  to  the  reception  of  their  doctrine. 
Oliver  Cowdery  having  been  sent  on  an  exploratory  expe- 
dition, reported  so  favorably  of  the  beauty,  fertility,  and  cheap- 
ness of  the  land  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  that  Joseph 
Smith,  after  remaining  but  a  few  weeks  in  Kirtland,  deter- 
mined to  visit  this  land  of  promise  himself.  Leaving  his 
family  and  principal  connections  in  Kirtland,  he  proceeded 
with  Sidney  Rigdon  and  some  others  upon  a  long  and  arduous 
journey  to  the  wilderness,  to  fix  upon  a  site  for  the  "  New 
Jerusalem;"  the  future  city  of  Christ,  where  the  Lord  was  to 
reign  over  the  Saints  as  a  temporal  king  in  "  power  and  great 
glory."  They  started  about  the  middle  of  June,  travelling  by 
wagons  or  canal  boats,  and  sometimes  on  foot,  as  far  as  Cin- 
cinnati.    From  this  place  they  proceeded  by  steamer  to  Louis- 


70  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

ville  and  St.  Louis.  At  the  last-mentioned  village  all  further 
means  of  transport  failed  them,  and  they  walked  a  distance 
of  three  hundred  miles  to  Independence,  in  Jackson  County, 
Missouri,  the  seat  of  the  promised  inheritance  of  the  Saints. 
They  arrived  at  their  destination  foot-sore  and  weary,  in  the 
middle  of  July.  Joseph  was  in  raptures  with  the  beauty  of 
the  country,  and  his  delight  broke  out  into  the  following  de- 
scription, which  occurs  in  his  Autobiography,  published  in  the 
Times,  and  Seasons  : — 

"  Unlike  the  timbered  states  in  the  east,  except  upon  the 
rivers  and  water-courses,  which  were  verdantly  dotted  with 
trees  from  one  to  three  miles  wide,  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
glance,  the  beautiful  rolling  prairies  lay  spread  around  like  a 
sea  of  meadows.  The  timber  is  a  mixture  of  oak,  hickory, 
black  walnut,  elm,  cherry,  honey  locust,  mulberry,  coffee  bean, 
hackberry,  box,  elder,  and  bass  wood,  together  with  the  addi- 
tion of  cotton  wood,  button  wood,  pecon — soft  and  hard  maples 
upon  the  bottoms.  The  shrubbery  was  beautiful,  and  consisted 
in  part  of  plums,  grapes,  crab  apples,  and  parsimmons.  The 
prairies  were  decorated  with  a  growth  of  flowers  that  seemed 
as  gorgeous  and  grand  as  the  brilliancy  of  the  stars  in  the 
heavens,  and  exceed  description.  The  soil  is  rich  and  fertile, 
from  three  to  ten  feet  deep,  and  generally  composed  of  a  rich, 
black  mould,  intermingled  with  clay  and  sand.  It  produces, 
in  abundance,  wheat,  corn,  and  many  other  commodities,  to- 
gether with  sweet  potatoes  and  cotton.  Horses,  cattle,  and 
hogs,  though  of  an  inferior  breed,  are  tolerably  plenty,  and 
seem  nearly  to  raise  themselves  by  grazing  in  the  vast  prairie 
range  in  summer,  and  feeding  upon  the  bottoms  in  winter. 
The  wild  game  is  less  plenty  where  man  has  commenced  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil,  than  it  is  a  little  distance  further  in  the 
wild  prairies.  Buffalo,  elk,  deer,  bears,  wolves,  beaver,  and 
many  lesser  animals,  roam  at  pleasure.  Turkeys,  geese,  swans, 
duck — yea,  a  variety  of  the  feathered   race,  are  among  the 


FIRST    ESTABLISHMENT   IN    MISSOURI.  71 

rich  abundance  that  graces  the  delightful  regions  of  this 
goodly  land  of  the  heritage  of  the  children  of  God.  Nothing 
is  more  fruitful,  or  a  richer  stockholder  in  the  blooming 
prairies,  than  the  honey  bee  ;  honey  is  but  twenty-five  cents 
per  gallon. 

"  The  season  is  mild  and  delightful  nearly  three  quarters  of 
the  year,  and  as  the  land  of  Zion  is  situated  at  about  equal 
distances  from  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans  as  well  as  from 
the  Alleghany  and  Rocky  Mountains,  in  the  thirty-ninth  de- 
gree of  north  latitude,  and  between  the  tenth  and  twentieth 
degrees  of  west  longitude,  it  bids  fair  to  become  one  of  the 
most  blessed  places  on  the  globe." 

The  longer  he  stayed  in  Missouri,  the  more  delighted  he  was 
with  the  "  location"  fixed  upon  for  the  Saints  ;  and  that  there 
might  be  no  difference  of  opinion  upon  the  subject  in  the 
church,  he  had  a  direct  "  revelation"  from  the  Almighty  upon 
the  subject ;  establishing  it  as  the  future  Zion,  and  setting 
forth  his  views  relative  to  the  organization  of  the  church,  the 
building  of  a  temple,  the  allotment  of  lands,  and  the  means 
of  living  of  the  people.  So  early  in  his  career  did  this  re- 
markable man  begin  to  exercise  authority  over  his  followers, 
so  bold  and  daring  were  his  designs,  and  so  confident  was  he 
in  himself.     This  extraordinary  document  ran  as  follows  : — 

"  Hearken,  O  ye  elders  of  my  church,  saith  the  Lord  your  God, 
who  have  assembled  yourselves  together,  according  to  my  command- 
ments, in  this  land  which  I  have  appointed  and  consecrated  for  the 
gathering  of  the  Saints  ;  wherefore  this  is  the  land  of  promise,  and 
the  place  for  the  city  of  Zion.  And  thus  saith  the  Lord  your  God, 
if  you  will  receive  wisdom,  here  is  wisdom.  Behold,  the  place 
which  is  now  called  Independence,  is  the  centre  place,  and  a  spot 
for  the  temple  is  lying  westward,  upon  a  lot  which  is  not  far  from 
the  court-house :  wherefore  it  is  wisdom  that  the  land  should  be  pur- 
chased by  the  Saints ;  and  also  every  tract  lying  westward,  even 
unto  the  line  running  directly  between  Jew  and  Gentile.     And  also 


72  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

every  tract  bordering  by  the  prairies,  inasmuch  as  my  disciples  are 
enabled  to  buy  lands.  Behold,  this  is  wisdom,  that  they  may  obtain 
it  for  an  everlasting  inheritance. 

"  And  let  my  servant,  Sidney  Gilbert,  stand  in  the  office  which  I 
have  appointed  him,  to  receive  moneys,  to  be  an  agent  unto  the 
church,  to  buy  land  in  all  the  regions  round  about,  inasmuch  as  can 
be  in  righteousness,  and  as  wisdom  shall  direct. 

"  And  let  my  servant,  Edward  Partridge,  stand  in  the  office  which 
I  have  appointed  him,  to  divide  the  Saints  their  inheritance,  even  as 
I  have  commanded ;  and  also  those  whom  he  has  appointed  to  assist 
him. 

"  And,  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  let  my  servant,  Sidney  Gil- 
bert, plant  himself  in  this  place,  and  establish  a  store,  that  he  may 
sell  goods  without  fraud  ;  that  he  may  obtain  money  to  buy  lands 
for  the  good  of  the  Saints,  and  that  he  may  obtain  whatsoever  things 
the  disciples  may  need  to  plant  them  in  inheritance.  And  also  let 
my  servant,  Sidney  Gilbert,  obtain  a  license  that  he  may  send  goods 
also  unto  the  people,  even  by  whom  he  will,  as  clerks  employed  in 
his  service,  and  thus  provide  for  my  Saints,  that  my  Gospel  may  be 
preached  unto  those  who  sit  in  darkness,  and  in  the  region  and 
shadow  of  death. 

"  And,  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  let  my  servant,  William  W. 
Phelps,  be  planted  in  this  place,  and  be  established  as  a  printer  unto 
the  church  ;  and  lo,  if  the  world  receiveth  his  writings,  let  him  ob- 
tain whatsoever  he  can  obtain  in  righteousness,  for  the  good  of  the 
Saints.  And  let  my  servant,  Oliver  Cowdery,  assist  him,  even  as  I 
have  commanded,  in  whatsoever  place  J  shall  appoint  unto  him,  to 
copy,  and  to  correct,  and  select,  that  all  things  may  be  right  before 
me,  as  it  shall  be  proved  by  the  Spirit  through  him.  And  thus  let 
those  of  whom  I  have  spoken  to  be  planted  in  the  land  of  Zion,  and 
speedily  as  can  be,  with  their  families,  to  do  those  things  even  as  I 
have  spoken. 

"  And  now,  concerning  the  gathering.  Let  the  bishop  and  the 
agent  make  preparations  for  those  families  which  have  been  com- 
manded to  come  to  this  land,  as  soon  as  possible,  and  plant  them  in 
their  inheritance.  And  unto  the  residue  of  both  elders  and  mem- 
bers, further  directions  shall  be  given  hereafter.     Even  so.     Amen." 


-^at^^S 


JOSEPH   SMITH    PREACHING    IN   THE   WILDERNESS. 


RETURN   TO    OHIO.  *75 

On  the  first  Sunday  after  their  arrival  Joseph  preached  in 
the  wilderness  to  a  crowd  of  Indians,  squatters,  and,  as  him- 
self records,  "to  quite  a  respectable  company*  of  negroes." 
He  made  a  few  converts,  and  had  another  revelation  from  the 
Lord,  to  the  effect  that  an  angel  should  be  appointed  to  re- 
ceive money,  and  that  Martin  Harris  should  "be  an  example 
to  the  church  in  laying  his  moneys  before  the  bishops  of  the 
church.  I  ask  that  lands  should  be  purchased  for  the  place 
of  the  storehouse,  and  also  for  the  house  of  the  printing."  On 
the  3d  of  August,  after  a  sojourn  of  less  than  three  weeks,  the 
spot  for  the  temple  was  solemnly  laid  out,  and  dedicated  to 
the  Lord  ;  and  Joseph  in  a  day  or  two  afterwards,  having 
completed  all  his  arrangements,  established  a  bishop,  and  ac- 
quired, as  he  thought,  a  firm  footing  for  his  sect  in  this  remote 
but  lovely  and  fertile  spot,  prepared  to  return  into  Ohio,  to 
look  after  his  business  in  Kirtland.  He  was  accompanied  by 
ten  elders  of  the  church.  "  We  started  down  the  river,"  says 
Joseph  in  his  Autobiography,  "  in  sixteen  canoes,  and  went 
the  first  day  as  far  as  Fort  Osag^  where  we  had  a  wild  turkey 
for  supper.  Nothing  very  important  occurred  until  the  third 
day,  when  many  of  the  dangers  so  common  upon  the  western 
waters  manifested  themselves ;  and,  after  we  had  encamped 
upon  the  bank  of  the  river,  Brother  Phelps,  in  open  vision  by 
daylight,  saw  the  destroyer  (the  Devil)  ride  upon  the  waters. 
Others,"  he  adds,  "heard  the  noise,  but  saw  not  the  vision." 
They  arrived  safely  at  Kirtland,  after  a  journey  of  twenty- 
four  days.  Some  dispute,  of  which  the  nature  is  not  clearly 
known,  appears  to  have  arisen  between  Joseph  and  his  friend 
Sidney  Rigdon  before  their  return.  It  is  probable,  from  the 
course  of  subsequent  events,  that  Sidney,  even  at  this  time, 
aspired  to  greater  power  in  the  church  than  suited  the  pur- 
poses of  the  "  prophet ;"  but,  whatever  the  disagreement  was, 
Joseph  thought  fit  to  rebuke  his  chief  disciple  by  a  revelation 
from  heaven,  in  which  he  accused  him  of  "being  exalted  in 


76  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

his  heart,  and  despising  the  counsel  of  the  Lord."  They  af- 
terwards became  reconciled,  and  in  partnership  or  conjunction 
of  some  kind,  and  by  the  aid  of  other  members  and  elders  of 
the  church,  they  established  a  mill  and  store  in  Kirtland,  and 
set  up  a  bank.  Joseph  appointed  himself  its  president,  and 
entrusted  Sidney  Rigdon  with  the  office  of  cashier.  To  Kirt- 
land, they  gave  the  name  of  a  "stake,"  or  support  of  Zion, 
intending  to  remain  there  for  at  least  five  years,  "  and  make 
money,"  until  the  wilderness  was  cleared  and  the  temple  built 
in  Zion. 

From  this  time  until  January,  1832,  Joseph  continued 
preaching  in  various  parts  of  the  United  States,  making  con- 
verts with  great  rapidity.  He  found  it  necessary,  however,  to 
check  the  presumption  of  some  new  and  indiscreet  converts 
who  also  had  revelations  from  the  Lord,  which  they  endeav- 
ored to  palm  off  upon  the  public,  asserting  that  they  were 
quite  as  good  as  those  of  the  prophe-t.  Among  others,  one 
Mr.  E.  Maclellan  was  rebuked.  "  This  Maclellan,"  says 
Joseph,  "  as  a  wise  man  in  his  own  estimation,  and  having 
more  learning  than  sense,  endeavored  to  write  a  command- 
ment like  unto  one  of  the  least  of  the  Lord's,  but  failed.  It 
was  an  awful  responsibility,  to  write  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 
The  elders  and  all  present,  who  witnessed  the  vain  attempt 
of  this  man  to  imitate  the  language  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
renewed  their  faith  in  the  revelation  which  the  Lord  had 
given  through  my  instrumentality."  Joseph,  at  the  same 
time,  was  obliged  to  combat  some  charges  which  were  brought 
against  his  character  by  one  Ezra  Booth,  formerly  in  his  coun- 
cil, and  whom  he  denounced  as  an  apostate,  and  as  a  man 
who,  by  the  exposure  of  his  own  wickedness  and  folly,  had 
left  himself  "  a  monument  of  shame  for  the  whole  world  to 
wonder  at."  His  strange  doctrines,  and  these  charges  against 
his  character,  brought  forward  by  men  who  had  once  been  in 
his  confidence,  united  to  the  hatred  with  which  other  fanatics 


OUTRAGE    ON   THE    "  PROPHET."  11 

more  violent  than  himself  regarded  his  preaching,  created 
much  ill-feeling  against  him.  On  the  25th  of  January,  being 
then  resident  at  a  village  called  "  Hiram,"  he  was  dragged 
out  of  his  bed  at  midnight,  from  the  side  of  his  wife,  "  by  a 
mob  of  Methodists,  Baptists,  Campbellites,"  and  miscellaneous 
ruffians,  who  stripped  him  naked,  and  tarred  and  feathered 
him.  Sidney  Rigdon  was  similarly  treated  by  the  same  law- 
less and  cowardly  assemblage. 

The  following  account  of  this  outrage,  the  first  of  a  long 
series,  was  given  by  Joseph  some  years  afterwards  : — 

"  According  to  previous  calculations,  we  now  began  to  make 
preparations  to  visit  the  brethren,  who  had  removed  to  the 
land  of  Missouri.  Before  going  to  Hiram  to  live  with  Father 
Johnson,  my  wife  had  taken  two  children  (twins)  of  John 
Murdock  to  bring  up.  She  received  them  when  only  nine 
days  old,  and  they  were  now  nearly  eleven  months.  I  would 
remark  that  nothing  important  had  occurred  since  I  came  to 
reside  in  Father  Johnson's  house  in  Hiram.  I  had  held  meet- 
ings on  the  Sabbaths  and  evenings,  and  baptized  a  number. 
Father  Johnson's  son,  Olmsted  Johnson,  came  home  on  a  visit, 
during  which  I  told  him  that  if  he  did  not  obey  the  Gospel, 
the  spirit  he  was  of  would  lead  him  to  destruction  ;  and  then 
he  went  away.  He  would  never  return  to  see  his  father  again. 
He  went  to  the  Southern  States  and  Mexico  ;  on  his  return, 
took  sick,  and  died  in  Virginia.  In  addition  to  the  apostate 
Booth,  Simmonds  Rider,  Eli  Johnson,  Edward  Johnson,  and 
John  Johnson,  junior,  had  apostatized. 

"  On  the  25th  of  March,  the  twins  before-mentioned,  which 
had  been  sick  of  the  measles  for  some  time,  caused  us  to  be 
broke  of  our  rest  in  taking  care  of  them,  especially  my  wife. 
In  the  evening,  I  told  her  she  had  better  retire  to  rest  with 
one  of  the  children,  and  I  would  watch  with  the  sickest  child. 
In  the  night,  she  told  me  I  had  better  lay  down  on  the  trun- 
dle-bed, and  I  did  so,  and  was  soon  after  awoke  by  her  scream- 


78  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

ing  murder  !  when  I  found  myself  going  out  of  the  door  in 
the  hands  of  about  a  dozen  men  ;  some  of  whose  hands  were 
in  my  hair,  and  some  had  hold  of  my  shirt,  drawers,  and 
limbs.  The  foot  of  the  trundle  bed  was  towards  the  door, 
leaving  only  room  enough  for  the  door  to  swing.  My  wife 
heard  a  gentle  tapping  on  the  windows,  which  she  then  took 
no  particular  notice  of  (but  which  was  unquestionably  de- 
signed to  ascertain  whether  we  were  all  asleep),  and  soon  af- 
ter the  mob  burst  open  the  door,  and  surrounded  the  bed  in 
an  instant,  and,  as  I  said,  the  first  I  knew,  I  was  going  out  of 
the  door  in  the  hands  of  an  infuriated  mob.  I  made  a  des- 
perate struggle,  as  I  was  forced  out,  to  extricate  myself,  but 
only  cleared  one  leg,  with  which  I  made  a  pass  at  one  man, 
and  he  fell  on  the  door-steps.  I  was  immediately  confined 
again  ;  and  they  swore  they  would  kill  me  if  I  did  not  be 
still,  which  quieted  me.  As  they  passed  around  the  house 
with  me,  the  fellow  that  I  kicked  came  to  me,  and  thrust  his 
hand  into  my  face  all  covered  with  blood  (for  I  hit  him  on 
the  nose),  and  with  an  exulting  horse  laugh  muttered  :  '  Ge> 
Gee,  III  fix  ye? 

"  They  then  seized  my  throat,  and  held  on  till  I  lost  my 
breath.  After  I  came  to,  as  they  passed  along  with  me,  about 
thirty  rods  from  the  house,  I  saw  Elder  Rigdon  stretched  out 
on  the  ground,  whither  they  had  dragged  him  by  the  heels. 
I  supposed  he  was  dead. 

"  I  began  to  plead  with  them,  saying,  '  You  will  have  mer- 
cy, and  spare  my  life,  I  hope  !'  To  which  they  replied  with 
oaths  and  imprecations,  which  they  were  in  the  constant 
habit  of  using  when  greatly  excited,  '  Call  on  your  God  for 
help,  we'll  show  you  no  mercy  ;'  and  the  people  began  to  show 
themselves  in  every  direction  :  one  coming  from  the  orchard 
had  a  plank,  and  I  expected  they  would  kill  me,  and  carry 
me  off  on  the  plank.  They  then  turned  to  the  right,  and 
went  on  about  thirty  rods  further,  about  sixty  rods  from  the 


THE   MOB   TASKING   JOSEPH   SMITH. 


OUTRAGE    ON    THE    "  PROPHET."  81 

house,  and  thirty  from  where  I  saw  Elder  Rigdon,  into  the 
meadow,  where  they  stopped  ;  and  one  said,  *  Simmonds,  Sim- 
monds'  (meaning,  I  suppose,  Simmonds  Rider),  '  pull  up  his 
drawers,  pull  up  his  drawers,  he  will  take  cold.'  Another 
replied,  '  A'?it  ye  going  to  kill  him  ?  tint  ye  going  to  kill 
him  ?'  when  a  group  of  mobbers  collected  a  little  way  off,  and 
said,  '  Simmonds,  Simmonds,  come  here ;'  and  Simmonds 
charged  those  who  had  hold  of  me  to  keep  me  from  touching 
the  ground  (as  they  had  done  all  the  time),  lest  I  should  get 
a  spring  upon  them.  They  went  and  held  a  council,  and  as 
I  could  occasionally  overhear  a  word,  I  supposed  it  was  to 
know  whether  it  was  best  to  kill  me.  They  returned  after  a 
while,  when  I  learned  that  they  had  concluded  not  to  kill  me, 
but  pound  and  scratch  me  well,  tear  off  my  shirt  and  drawers, 
and  leave  me  naked.  One  cried,  '  Simmonds,  Simmonds, 
where 's  the  tar  bucket?'  '  I  don't  know,'  answered  one,  '  where 
*t  is,  Eli's  left  it.'  They  ran  back,  and  fetched  the  bucket 
of  tar,  when  one  exclaimed,  '  Let  us  tar  up  his  mouth  ;'  and 
they  tried  to  force  the  tar-paddle  into  my  mouth  ;  I  twisted 
my  head  around,  so  that  they  could  not ;  and  they  cried  out : 
.'  Hold  up  your  head,  and  let  us  give  ye  some  tar'  They  then 
tried  to  force  a  phial  into  my  mouth,  and  broke  it  in  my  teeth. 
All  my  clothes  were  torn  off  me  except  my  shirt  collar ;  and 
one  man  fell  on  me  and  scratched  my  body  with  his  nails 
like  a  mad  cat. 

"  They  then  left  me  and  I  attempted  to  rise,  but  fell  again  ; 
I  pulled  the  tar  away  from  my  lips,  &c,  so  that  I  could  breathe 
more  freely,  and  after  a  while  I  began  to  recover,  and  raised 
myself  up,  when  I  saw  two  lights.  I  made  my  way  towards 
one  of  them,  and  found  it  was  Father  Johnson's.  When  I 
had  come  to  the  door  I  was  naked,  and  the  tar  made  me  look 
as  though  I  had  been  covered  with  blood  ;  and  when  my  wife 
saw  me,  she  thought  I  was  all  smashed  to  pieces,  and  fainted. 
During  the  affray  abroad,  the  sisters  of  the  neighborhood  had 

6 


82  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

collected  at  my  room.  I  called  for  a  blanket ;  they  threw 
me  one,  and  shut  the  door ;  I  wrapped  it  around  me  and 
went  in. 

11  In  the  meantime,  Brother  John  Poorman  heard  an  outcry 
across  the  cornfield,  and  running  that  way  met  Father  John- 
son, who  had  been  fastened  in  his  house  at  the  commencement 
of  the  assault,  by  having  his  door  barred  by  the  mob  ;  but,  on 
calling  to  his  wife  to  bring  his  gun,  saying  he  would  blow  a 
hole  through  the  door,  the  mob  fled,  and  Father  Johnson 
seizing  a  club  ran  after  the  party  that  had  Elder  Rigdon, 
and  knocked  one  man  down,  and  raised  his  club  to  level  an- 
other, exclaiming,  'What  are  you  doing  here?'  They  then 
left  Elder  Rigdon  and  turned  upon  Father  Johnson,  who, 
turning  to  run  towards  his  own  house,  met  Brother  Poorman 
coming  out  of  the  cornfield ;  each  supposing  the  other  to  be  a 
mobber,  an  encounter  ensued,  and  Poorman  gave  Johnson  a 
severe  blow  on  the  left  shoulder  with  a  stick  or  stone,  which 
brought  him  to  the  ground.  Poorman  ran  immediately  to- 
wards Father  Johnson's  and  arriving  while  I  was  waiting  for 
the  blanket,  exclaimed,  '  I'm  afraid  I've  killed  him.'  '  Killed 
who  ?'  asked  one  ;  when  Poorman  hastily  related  the  circum- 
stances of  the  rencounter  near  the  cornfield,  and  went  into  the 
shed  and  hid  himself.  Father  Johnson  soon  recovered  so  as 
to  come  to  the  house,  when  the  whole  mystery  was  quickly 
solved  concerning  the  difficulty  between  him  and  Poorman, 
who,  on  learning  the  facts,  joyfully  came  from  his  hiding- 
place. 

"  My  friends  spent  the  night  in  scraping  and  removing  the 
tar,  and  washing  and  cleansing  my  body  ;  so  that  by  morning 
I  was  ready  to  be  clothed  again.  This  being  Sabbath  morn- 
ing, the  people  assembled  for  meeting  at  the  usual  hour  of 
worship,  and  among  those  came  also  the  mobbers  ;  viz.,  Sim- 
monds  Rider,  a  Campbellite  preacher,  and  leader  of  the  mob  ; 
one  McClentic,  son  of  a  Campbellite  minister ;  and  Pelatiah 


DEPARTURE    FOR   MISSOURI.  83 

Allen,  Esq.,  who  gave  the  mob  a  barrel  of  whiskey  to  raise 
their  spirits  ;  and  many  others.  With  my  flesh  all  scarified 
and  defaced,  I  preached  to  the  congregation  as  usual,  and  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  baptized  three  individuals. 

"  The  next  morning  I  went  to  see  Elder  Rigdon,  and  found 
him  crazy,  and  his  head  highly  inflamed,  for  they  had  dragged 
him  by  his  heels,  and  those,  too,  so  high  from  the  earth  he 
could  not  raise  his  head  from  the  rough  frozen  surface,  which 
lacerated  it  exceedingly  ;  and  when  he  saw  me  he  called  to 
his  wife  to  bring  him  his  razor.  She  asked  him  what  he  want- 
ed of  it  ?  and  he  replied  to  kill  me.  Sister  Rigdon  left  the 
room,  and  he  asked  me  to  bring  his  razor ;  I  asked  him  what 
he  wanted  of  it  ?  and  he  replied  he  wanted  to  kill  his  wife  ; 
and  he  continued  delirious  some  days.  The  feathers  which 
were  used  with  the  tar  on  this  occasion,  the  mob  took  out  of 
Elder  Rigdon's  house.  After  they  had  seized  him  and  dragged 
him  out,  one  of  the  banditti  returned  to  get  some  pillows ;  when 
the  women  shut  him  in,  and  kept  him  some  time." 

Joseph,  after  this  cruel  treatment,  thought  it  high  time  to 
absent  himself  for  a  little,  and  on  the  2d  of  April  he  started, 
in  company  with  some  of  his  adherents,  for  Missouri,  "to  ful- 
fil the  revelation."  Although  he  left  secretly,  his  inhuman 
persecutors  received  notice  of  his  design,  and  tracked  him  for 
several  hundred  miles,  until  he  arrived  at  Louisville,  where 
he  was  sheltered  and  protected  from  his  assailants  by  the  cap- 
tain of  a  steamboat.  He  arrived  at  "  Zion,"  or  Independence, 
on  the  26th,  where  he  was  enthusiastically  received  by  a  large 
congregation  of  thriving  "  Saints,"  and  solemnly  acknowledged 
as  prophet  and  seer,  and  president  of  the  high  priesthood  of 
the  church.  He  found  that  in  his  absence^  but  in  obedience 
to  a  revelation  which  he  had  given,  a  printing-press  had  been 
procured,  and  a  monthly  newspaper  or  magazine  established 
by  W.  W.  Phelps,  the  "  printer  to  the  church,"  under  the 
title  of  the  Evening  and  Morning  Star.     A  weekly  paper 


84  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

was  also  planned  and  established,  called  the  Tipper  Missouri 
Advertiser.  Both  of  these  journals  were  exclusively  devoted 
to  the  interests  of  Mormonism,  which  by  this  time  numbered 
between  2,000  and  3,000  disciples,  principally  in  Missouri. 
The  number  of  the  Saints  in  Kirtland,  including  women  and 
children,  was  but  one  hundred  and  fifty.  Joseph,  however, 
had  his  mill,  his  store,  and  his  farm  to  look  after  at  Kirtland ; 
and  although,  while  in  that  town,  he  lived  among  enemies,  it 
was  necessary  that  he  should  return  to  it.  He  therefore  left 
Zion,  with  the  full  confidence  that  all  was  going  on  prosper- 
ously. In  January,  1833,  while  attending  to  his  worldly 
business,  a  schism  broke  out  in  "Zion"  itself,  which  threat- 
ened, and,  in  combination  with  other  circumstances,  ultimate- 
ly produced,  the  greatest  calamities,  and  led  to  the  violent 
expulsion  of  the  Mormons  from  the  whole  State  of  Missouri. 
The  manner  in  which  the  Mormons  behaved  in  their  "  Zion" 
was  not  calculated  to  make  friends.  The  superiority  they 
assumed  gave  offence,  and  the  rumors  that  were  spread  by 
their  opponents,  as  well  as  by  some  false  friends,  who  had 
been  turned  out  of  the  church  for  misconduct,  excited  against 
them  an  intense  feeling  of  alarm  and  hatred.  They  were  ac- 
cused of  Communism,  and  not  simply  of  a  community  of  goods 
and  chattels,  but  of  wives.  Both  these  charges  were  utterly 
unfounded  ;  but  they  were  renewed  from  day  to  day,  and 
found  constant  believers,  in  spite  of  denials  and  refutations  on 
the  part  of  the  Mormons.  Joined  to  the  odium  unjustly  cast 
upon  them  for  these  reasons,  they  talked  so  imprudently  of 
their  determination  to  possess  the  whole  State  of  Missouri,  and 
to  suffer  no  one  to  live  in  it  who  would  not  conform  to  their 
faith,  that  a  party  was  secretly  formed  against  them,  of  which 
the  object  was  nothing  less  than  their  total  and  immediate 
expulsion  from  their  promised  "  Zion."  In  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Phelps,  the  editor  of  the  Mormon  paper — the  Morning  and 
Evening  Star,  dated  from  Kirtland  Mill,  Joseph  threatened 


NEW    REVELATIONS.  85 

the  vengeance  of  God  upon  all  the  schismatics  of  "  Zion." 
"  I  say  to  you  (and  what  I  say  to  you  I  say  to  all),  hear  the 
warning  voice  of  God,  lest  Zion  fall,  and  the  Lord  swear  in 
his  wrath  the  inhabitants  of  Zion  shall  not  enter  into  my  rest. 
The  brethren  in  Kirtland  pray  for  you  unceasingly  ;  for,  know- 
ing the  terrors  of  the  Lord,  they  greatly  fear  for  you."  Some 
of  the  Missouri  Saints,  it  appeared,  had  accused  Joseph  Smith 
of  aiming  at  "monarchical  power  and  authority;"  and  two 
of  the  high  priests,  in  a  letter  written  at  the  time  in  support 
of  the  rebuke  of  the  prophet  to  these  "  rebels,"  speak  of  "  low, 
dark,  and  blind  insinuations  against  Joseph's  character  and 
intentions." 

Whatever  Joseph's  views  in  this  respect  may  have  been,  he 
found  it  necessary  to  take  the  sting  out  of  this  accusation,  by 
associating  with  him  in  the  supreme  government  of  the 
church  his  old  colleague,  Sidney  Rigdon,  and  another  Saint 
named  Williams.  As  usual,  when  any  great  movement  was 
to  be  made,  he  had  a  "  revelation."  Under  the  date  of  the 
8th  of  March,  1833,  the  Lord  is  represented  as  declaring  that 
the  sins  of  Sidney  Rigdon  and  Frederick  G.  Williams  were 
forgiven,  and  "  that  they  were  henceforth  to  be  accounted  as 
equal  with  Joseph  Smith,  jun.,  in  holding  the  keys  of  His  last 
kingdom."  As  it  appears  that  Sidney  Rigdon  was  too  am- 
bitious of  power  to  be  safely  trusted  among  the  Saints  of  Mis- 
souri, he  was  commanded  by  this  revelation  to  remain  in 
Kirtland.  The  bishop  was  also  ordered  by  the  same  authori- 
ty to  "  search  diligently  for  an  agent,"  who  was  to  be  a  "  man 
who  had  got  riches  in  store — a  man  of  God,  and  of  strong 
faith,  that  thereby  he  might  be  enabled  to  discharge  every 
debt,  that  the  storehouse  of  the  Lord  might  not  be  brought 
into  disrepute  before  the  people."  Joseph  also  condescended 
to  forgive  the  rebellious  of  Zion.  "  Behold,  I  say  unto  you," 
said  the  revelation,  "  your  brethren  in  Zion  begin  to  repent, 
and  the  angels  rejoice  over  them.     Nevertheless,  I  am  not 


86  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

well  pleased  with  many  things,  and  I  am  not  well  pleased 
with  my  servant  William  E.  Maclellan,  neither  with  my  ser- 
vant Sidney  Gilbert,  and  the  bishop  also  ;  and  others  have 
many  things  to  repent  of.  But  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  that  I 
the  Lord  will  contend  with  Zion,  and  plead  with  her  strong 
ones,  and  chasten  her,  until  she  overcomes  and  is  clean  before 
me,  for  she  shall  not  be  removed  out  of  her  place.  I  the  Lord 
have  spoken  it.  Amen."  On  the  same  day  Joseph  "  laid  his 
hands  on  Brothers  Sidney  and  Frederick,  and  ordained  them 
to  take  part  with  him  in  holding  the  keys  of  the  last  kingdom, 
and  to  assist  in  the  presidency  of  the.  high  priesthood  as  his 
councillors.  After  which  he  exhorted  the  brethren  to  faith- 
fulness and  diligence  in  keeping  the  commandments  of  God ; 
and  gave  much  instruction  for  the  benefit  of  the  Saints,  with 
a  promise  that  the  pure  in  heart  should  see  a  heavenly  vision, 
and  after  remaining  a  short  time  in  secret  prayer,  the  promise 
was  verified.  He  then  blessed  the  bread  and  wine,  and  dis- 
tributed a  portion  to  each,  after  which  many  of  the  brethren 
saw  a  heavenly  vision  of  the  Saviour  and  concourses  of  angels, 
and  many  other  things." 

4-  But  although  the  dissensions  in  the  church  were  apparent- 
ly healed  by  the  judicious  step  thus  taken,  the  old  settlers  of 
Missouri  caused  Joseph  much  alarm  by  the  daily  increasing 
hostility  they  expressed  against  the  whole  sect. 

"  In  the  month  of  April,"  says  Joseph  in  his  Autobiography, 
"the  first  regular  mob  rushed  together,  in  Independence 
(Zion),  to  consult  upon  a  plan  for  the  removal,  or  immediate 
destruction,  of  the  church  in  Jackson  County.  The  number 
of  the  mob  was  about  three  hundred.  A  few  of  the  first  elders 
met  in  secret,  and  prayed  to  Him  who  said  to  the  wind  '  Be 
still,'  to  frustrate  them  in  their  wicked  design.  They  there- 
fore, after  spending  the  day  in  a  fruitless  endeavor,  to  unite 
upon  a  general  scheme  for  '  moving  the  Mormons  out  of  their 
diggings,'  as  they  asserted,  and  becoming  a  little  the  worse  for 


TROUBLES    IN    MISSOURI.  87 

liquor,  broke  up  in  a  regular  Missouri  '  row,'  showing  a  deter- 
mined resolution  that  every  man  would  '  carry  his  own  head.'  " 
The  Mormon  paper  of  June,  1833,  published  an  article  en- 
titled "  Free  people  of  color,"  which  roused  against  the  sect 
the  hostility  of  the  whole  pro-slavery  party — then,  as  now, 
peculiarly  sensitive  upon  the  question  of  Abolition.  The  anti- 
Mormon  press  contained  at  the  same  time  an  article  entitled 
"  Beware  of  false  prophets,"  written  by  a  person  whom  Jo- 
seph called  "  a  black  rod  in  the  hand  of  Satan."  This  article 
was  distributed  from  house  to  house  in  Independence  and  its 
neighborhood,  and  contained  many  false  charges  against 
Smith  and  his  associates,  reiterating  -the  calumny  about  the 
community  of  goods  and  wives.  The  Mormons  were  insulted 
and  sometimes  beaten  in  the  streets  and  highways,  and  quar- 
rels and  fights  were  of  frequent  occurrence.  In  the  begin- 
ning of  April,  a  meeting  of  three  hundred  people,  enemies  of 
the  Mormons,  was  held  in  Independence,  or  "  Zion,"  itself,  at 
which  the  resolution  referred  to  by  Joseph,  "  that  the  Mor- 
mons should  be  removed  out  of  their  diggings,"  was  unani- 
mously passed.  After  the  publication  of  these  two  articles, 
other  meetings  were  held  in  various  parts  of  Jackson  County, 
at  which  still  more  violent  resolutions  were  agreed  to.  A 
general  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Jackson  County,  expressly 
convened,  as  the  requisition  stated,  "for  the  purpose  of  adopt- 
ing measures  to  rid  themselves  of  the  sect  of  fanatics  called 
Mormons,'1  was  held  on  the  20th  of  July.  Between  four  and 
five  hundred  people  attended  from  every  part  of  the  county, 
and  an  address  to  the  public  was  agreed  upon.  The  address 
stated  that  little  more  than  two  years  previously,  "  some  two 
or  three  of  these  people  made  their  appearance  in  Missouri  ; 
that  they  now  numbered  upwards  of  1,200  ;  that  each  suc- 
cessive autumn  and  spring  poured  forth  a  new  swarm  of  them 
into  the  country,  as  if  the  places  from  which  they  came  were 
flooding  Missouri  with  the  very  dregs  of  their  composition ; 


88  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

that  they  were  but  little  above  the  condition  of  the  blacks  in 
regard  to  property  and  education  ;  and  that,  in  addition  to 
other  causes  of  scandal  and  offence,  they  exercised  a  corrupt- 
ing influence  over  the  slaves."  The  sanguine  boast  and  sin- 
cere belief  of  the  Mormons,  that  the  whole  country  of  Missouri 
was  their  destined  inheritance,  and  that  all  the  "  Gentiles," 
or  unbelievers  in  Joseph  Smith,  were  to  be  cut  off  in  the 
Lord's  good  time,  was  not  forgotten.  The  address  concluded — 

"  Of  their  pretended  revelations  from  heaven — their  personal  in- 
tercourse with  God  and  his  angels — the  maladies  they  pretend  to 
heal  by  the  laying  on  of  hands — and  the  contemptible  gibberish  with 
which  they  habitually  profane  the  Sabbath,  and  which  they  dignify 
with  the  appellation  of  unknown  tongues,  we  have  nothing  to  say : 
vengeance  belongs  to  God  alone.  But  as  to  the  other  matters  set 
forth  in  this  paper,  we  feel  called  on,  by  every  consideration  of  self- 
preservation,  good  society,  public  morals,  and  the  fair  prospects  that, 
if  they  are  not  blasted  in  the  germ,  await  this  young  and  beautiful 
country,  at  once  to  declare,  and  we  do  hereby  most  solemnly  de- 
clare— 

"  That  no  Mormon  shall  in  future  move  and  settle  in  this  country. 

"  That  those  now  here,  who  shall  give  a  definite  pledge  of  their 
intention  within  a  reasonable  time  to  remove  out  of  the  country, 
shall  be  allowed  to  remain  unmolested  until  they  have  sufficient  time 
to  sell  their  property  and  close  their  business  without  any  material 
sacrifice. 

';  That  the  editor  of  the  Star  be  required  forthwith  to  close  his  office, 
and  discontinue  the  business  of  printing  in  this  country  ;  and,  as  to 
all  other  stores  and  shops  belonging  to  the  sect,  their  owners  must 
in  every  case  comply  with  the  terms  of  the  second  article  of  this  dec- 
laration, and  upon  failure,  prompt  and  efficient  measures  will  be 
taken  to  close  the  same. 

"  That  the  Mormon  leaders  here,  are  required  to  use  their  influ- 
ence in  preventing  any  further  emigration  of  their  distant  brethren 
to  this  country,  and  to  counsel  and  advise  their  brethren  here  to  com- 
ply with  the  above  requisitions. 

"  That  those  who  fail  to  comply  with  these  requisitions  be  referred 


TROUBLES    IN    MISSOURI.  89 

to  those  of  their  brethren  who  have  the  gifts  of  divination  and  of  un- 
known tongues,  to  inform  them  of  the  lot  that  awaits  them." 

This  sarcastic,  but  very  earnest  and  emphatic  address,  was 
unanimously  adopted.  The  meeting  adjourned  for  two  hours, 
and  a  deputation  waited  upon  Mr.  Phelps,  the  Mormon  edi- 
tor, upon  Mr.  Partridge,  the  bishop,  and  upon  the  keeper  of 
the  Mormon  store,  and  urged  upon  them  the  expediency  of 
complying  with  these  terms.  The  deputation  reported  to  the 
meeting  that  they  could  not  procure  any  direct  answer,  and 
that  the  Mormons  wished  an  unreasonable  time  for  consulta- 
tion upon  the  matter,  not  only  among  themselves  in  Inde- 
pendence, but  with  Joseph  Smith,  their  prophet,  in  Kirtland. 
It  was  therefore  resolved,  nem.  con.,  that  the  Star  printing- 
office  should  be  immediately  razed  to  the  ground,  and  the 
types  and  presses  secured.  "This  resolution,"  said  the  anti- 
Mormons,  in  an  account  of  the  occurrence  published  under 
their  authority,  "  was,  with  the  utmost  order,  and  the  least 
noise  and  disturbance  possible,  forthwith  carried  into  execu- 
tion, as  also  some  other  steps  of  a  similar  tendency,  but  no 
blood  was  spilled,  nor  any  blows  inflicted.  The  meeting  then 
adjourned  for  three  days,  to  give  the  Mormons  an  opportunity 
of  considering  what  their  fate  was  likely  to  be  in  case  they 
should  ultimately  refuse  to  leave  the  country. 

The  "  other  steps  of  a  similar  tendency,"  alluded  to  in  this 
extract,  appear  to  have  been  the  tarring  and  feathering  of 
two  Mormons.  Phelps,  the  editor,  managed  to  escape  from 
the  mob,  but  Partridge,  the  Mormon  bishop,  and  another 
Saint  named  Allen,  were  not  so  fortunate.  These  two  were 
seized,  according  to  the  established  back-wood  or  Lynch 
fashion,  stripped  naked,  tarred  and  feathered,  and  set  loose. 
The  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  Lilburn 
W.  Boggs — a  man  who  from  thenceforward  appears  to  have 
pursued  the  Mormons  with  unrelenting  hostility — was  in  the 


90  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

immediate  neighborhood  of  the  riot,  but  declined  to  take  any 
part  in  preserving  the  peace.  Joseph  Smith  afterwards  stated 
that  he  actually  looked  on,  and  aided  the  movement,  saying 
to  the  Mormons,  "You  know  what  we  Jackson  boys  can  do. 
You  must  all  leave  the  country."  A  Presbyterian  preacher 
is  also  reported  to  have  declared  from  the  pulpit  that  "  the 
Mormons  were  the  common  enemies  of  mankind,  and  ought 
to  be  destroyed."  On  the  morning  of  the  23d  of  July,  the 
meeting  again  assembled.  It  was  composed  of  several  hun- 
dred persons,  well  armed,  and  bearing  the  red  flag  in  sign  of 
vengeance.  They  declared  their  intention  of  driving  the 
whole  sect  forcibly  out  of  Missouri,  if  they  would  not  depart 
peaceably.  The  Mormons  saw  that  it  was  useless  to  resist, 
and  their  leaders  agreed,  if  time  were  given,  that  the  people 
should  remove  westward  into  the  wilderness.  It  was  ar- 
ranged, and  an  agreement  was  duly  signed  to  that  effect,  that 
one  half  of  the  Mormons,  with  their  wives  and  families,  should 
depart  by  the  1st  of  January,  and  the  other  half  by  the  1st 
of  April  next  ensuing  ;  that  the  paper  should  be  discontinued  ; 
and  that  no  more  Mormons  should  be  allowed  to  come  into 
the  country  in  the  interval.  The  opposite  party  pledged 
themselves  that  no  violence  should  be  done  to  any  Mormon, 
provided  these  conditions  were  complied  with. 

In  these  distressing  and  perilous  circumstances,  Oliver 
Cowdery  was  despatched  to  Kirtland  with  a  message  to  the 
"Prophet."  On  his  arrival,  it  was  resolved,  in  solemn  con- 
clave, Joseph  himself  presiding,  that  the  Morning  and 
Evening  Star  should  be  published  in  Kirtland,  aud  that  a 
new  paper,  to  be  called  the  Latter-Day  Sai?its'  Messenger 
and  Advocate,  should  be  forthwith  started.  It  was  also  re- 
solved to  appeal  for  protection  to  Mr.  Dunklin,  the  Governor 
of  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  to  demand  justice  for  the  out- 
rages inflicted  upon  the  sect.  Joseph  himself  did  not  venture 
into  "  Zion,"  in  the  dangerous  circumstances  of  his  people, 


TROUBLES    IN    MISSOURI.  91 

but  undertook  a  journey  to  Canada  with  Sidney  Rigdon  and 
another,  where  they  made  some  converts.  In  the  meantime, 
Governor  Dunklin  wrote  a  sensible  and  conciliatory  letter  in 
reply  to  the  Mormon  petition,  in  which  he  stated  that  the  at- 
tack upon  them  was  illegal  and  unjustifiable,  and  recom- 
mended them  to  remain  where  they  were,  and  to  apply  for 
redress  to  the  ordinary  tribunals  of  the  country.  This  letter 
was  widely  circulated,  and  the  Mormons,  upon  the  strength 
of  it,  resolved  to  remain  in  Missouri,  and  "  proceed  with  the 
building  up  of  Zion."  They  commenced  actions  against  the 
ringleaders  of  the  mob,  and  engaged,  for  a  fee  of  1,000  dol- 
lars, the  best  legal  assistance  they  could  procure  to  support 
their  case.  But  on  the  30th  of  October,  the  mob  was  once 
again  in  arms  to  expel  them.  Ten  houses  of  the  "  Saints" 
were  unroofed  and  partially  demolished,  at  a  place  called  Big 
Blue  ;  and  on  the  following  day  several  houses  were  sacked 
at  Independence.  The  Mormons,  in  some  instances,  defended 
their  property,  and  a  regular  battle  ultimately  ensued  be- 
tween thirty  of  the  Saints,  armed  with  rifles,  and  a  large 
company  of  their  opponents,  also  well  armed.  In  this  encoun- 
ter two  of  the  anti-Mormons  were  killed.  Things  at  last 
assumed  so  alarming  an  aspect,  that  the  militia,  under  the 
command  of  Lieutenant-Governor  Boggs,  was  called  out.  The 
militia,  however,  was  anti-Mormon  to  a  man,  and  the  unhap- 
py Saints  saw  that  they  had  no  alternative  but  in  flight.  The 
blood  that  had  been  shed  had  caused  such  an  exasperation 
against  them,  that  it  was  unsafe  for  a  solitary  Mormon  to 
show  himself  in  the  towns  or  villages.  The  women  first  took 
the  alarm,  and  fled,  with  their  children,  across  the  Missouri 
river. 

"  On  Thursday,  Nov.  7th,"  says  the  account  in  the  Times 
and  Seasons,  "  the  shore  began  to  be  lined  on  both  sides  of 
the  ferry  with  men,  women,  and  children,  goods,  wagons 
boxes,  chests,  provisions  ;  while  the  ferrymen  were  busily  en- 


92  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

engaged  in  crossing  them  over  ;  and  when  night  again  closed 
upon  the  Saints,  the  wilderness  had  much  the  appearance  of 
a  camp  meeting.  Hundreds  of  people  were  seen  in  every 
direction,  some  in  tents,  and  some  in  the  open  air,  around 
their  fires,  while  the  rain  descended  in  torrents.  Husbands 
were  inquiring  for  their  wives,  and  women  for  their  husbands  ; 
parents  for  children,  and  children  for  parents.  Some  had  the 
good  fortune  to  escape  with  their  family,  household  goods,  and 
some  provisions;  while  others  knew  not  the  fate  of  their 
friends,  and  had  lost  all  their  goods.  The  scene  was  inde- 
scribable, and  would  have  melted  the  hearts  of  any  people 
upon  earth  except  the  blind  oppressor,  and  prejudiced  and  ig- 
norant bigot.  Next  day  the  company  increased,  and  they 
were  chiefly  engaged  in  felling  small  cotton-trees,  and  erect- 
ing them  into  temporary  cabins,  so  that  when  night  came  on, 
they  had  the  appearance  of  a  village  of  wigwams,  and  the 
night  being  clear,  the  occupants  began  to  enjoy  some  degree 
of  comfort.  The  Saints  who  fled  took  refuge  in  the  neigh- 
boring counties,  mostly  in  Clay  County,  which  received  them 
with  some  degree  of  kindness.  Those  who  fled  to  the  county 
of  Van  Buren  were  again  driven  and  compelled  to  flee,  and 
those  who  fled  to  Lafayette  County  were  soon  expelled,  or  the 
most  of  them,  and  had  to  move  wherever  they  could  find 
protection." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Journey  of  the  Peophet  into  Missouri — The  Lamanite  Skele- 
ton— The  Shower  of  Meteors — Final  Removal  of  Joseph 

from  klrtland,  ohio persecutions  in  missouri massacre 

at  Haun's  Mill — The  Danite  Band — Expulsion  from  Mis- 
souri. 

The  public  authorities  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  and,  indeed, 
all  the  principal  people,  except  those  of  Jackson  County,  were 
scandalized  at  these  lawless  proceedings,  and  sympathized 
with  the  efforts  made  by  the  Mormon  leaders  to  obtain  redress. 
The  Attorney-General  of  the  State  wrote  to  say  that  if  the 
Mormons  desired  to  be  re-established  in  their  possessions,  an 
adequate  public  force  would  be  sent  for  their  protection.  He 
also  advised  that  the  Mormons  should  remain  in  the  State, 
and  organize  themselves  into  a  regular  company  of  militia,  in 
which  case  they  should  be  supplied  with  public  arms.  •  The 
"  Prophet,"  having  by  this  time  returned  to  Kirtland,  wrote 
to  his  people  in  their  distress,  though  he  did  not  take  the  bold 
step  of  personally  appearing  among  them.  He  reiterated  that 
"  Independence,"  or  "  Zion,"  was  the  place  divinely  appointed 
by  God  for  the  inheritance  of  the  Saints  ;  that,  therefore,  they 
should  not  sell  any  land  to  which  they  had  a  legal  title  within 
its  boundaries,  but  hold  on,  "until  the  Lord  in  his  wisdom 
should  open  a  way  for  their  return."  He  also  advised  that 
they  should,  if  possible,  purchase  a  tract  of  land  in  Clay 
County,  for  present  emergencies.  He  also  had  a  revelation  in 
which  the  Lord  was  represented  as  saying  that  these  calam- 


94  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

ities  were  a  punishment  on  the  Saints  for  their  "  jarrings,  con- 
tentions, and  envying,  and  strifes,  and  lustful  and  covetous 
desires."  Zion,  however,  was  the  appointed  place,  and 
thither,  in  due  time,  the  Saints  should  return  "  with  songs  of 
everlasting  joy."  The  revelation,  which  was  of  unusual 
length,  and  contained  a  long  parable,  commanded  the  Saints 
to  "  importune  at  the  feet  of  the  judge  ;  and  if  he  did  not 
heed,  to  importune  at  the  feet  of  the  Governor ;  and  if  the 
Governor  did  not  heed,  to  importune  at  the  feet  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States ;  and  if  the  President  did  not  heed, 
then  the  Lord  God  Himself  would  arise  and  come  forth  out 
of  His  hiding-place,  and  in  His  fury  vex  the  nation." 

The  Saints,  however,  did  not  succeed  in  their  object.  They 
never  returned  to  their  "  Zion,"  but  remained  for  upwards  of 
four  years  in  Clay  County.  It  was  mostly  uncleared  land 
where  they  settled  or  squatted,  but  being  a  most  industrious 
and  persevering  people,  they  laid  out  farms,  erected  mills  and 
stores,  and  carried  on  their  business  successfully.  They  also 
laid  the  foundation  of  the  towns  of  Far  West  and  Adam-On- 
Diahman  ;  but  their  fanaticism  here,  as  well  as  in  their  for- 
mer location,  soon  proved  the  cause  of  their  expulsion  from 
the  whole  State  of  Missouri.  The  slavery  question,  the  cal- 
umny about  their  open  adulteries  and  community  of  wives, 
their  loud  vaunts  of  their  supreme  holiness,  their  continually 
repeated  declarations  that  Missouri  was  to  be  theirs  by  Divine 
command,  and  the  quarrels  that  were  the  constant  result,  led 
to  the  same  ill-feeling  in  Clay  County,  as  had  been  exhibited 
elsewhere.  But  before  the  final  consummation,  when,  as  one 
of  their  hymns  says — 

"  Missouri, 
Like  a  whirlwind  in  its  fury, 
And  without  a  judge  or  jury, 

Drove  the  Saints  and  spilled  their  blood" — 

various  interesting  events  in  their  history  took  place.     On  the 


THE    "  PROPHET"    STARTS    FOR    MISSOURI.  95 

5th  May,  1834,  Joseph  resolved  to  proceed  to  Clay  County, 
and  put  the  affairs  of  the  scattered  and  dispirited  church  into 
order.  Having  organized  a  company  of  one  hundred  persons, 
mostly  young  men,  and  nearly  all  elders,  priests,  deacons,  and 
teachers,  he  started  at  their  head  for  Missouri.  They  travelled 
on  foot ;  several  wagons  with  their  baggage  and  provisions, 
and  relief  to  the  destitute  Saints  in  Clay  County,  following  be- 
hind. They  were  well  provided  with  "  fire-arms  and  all  sorts 
of  munitions  of  war  of  the  most  portable  kind  for  self-defence." 
They  were  joined  in  two  days  by  fifty  more  "  Saints,"  simi- 
larly armed.  Their  baggage  wagons  now  amounted  to 
twenty.  Joseph  divided  his  band  into  companies  of  twelve, 
consisting  of  two  cooks,  two  firemen,  two  tent-makers,  two 
watermen,  one  runner  or  scout,  one  commissary,  and  two  wag- 
oners. Every  night  "  at  the  sound  of  the  trumpet,  they 
bowed  down  before  the  Lord  in  their  several  tents  ;  and  at 
the  sound  of  the  morning  trumpet,  every  man  was  again  on  his 
knees  before  the  Lord."  They  passed  through  extensive  wilds, 
and  forded  many  streams  and  rivers ;  and  though,  as  Joseph 
says,  "  their  enemies  were  continually  breathing  threats  of 
violence,  the  Saints  did  not  fear,  neither  did  they  hesitate  to 
prosecute  their  journey,  for  God  was  with  them,  and  his  an- 
gels were  before  them,  and  the  faith  of  the  little  band  was 
unwavering.  We  knew,"  he  added,  "that  the  angels  were 
our  companions,  for  we  saw  them." 

On  their  arrival  in  June  at  the  Illinois  river,  the  people 
were  very  anxious  to  know  who  and  what  they  were.  Many 
questions  were  asked,  but  the  Mormons  evaded  them  all,  and 
gave  no  information  as  to  their  names,  profession,  business,  or 
destination.  Joseph  himself  travelled  incognito,  and  though 
the  settlers  in  Illinois  vehemently  suspected  the  band  to  be 
Mormons,  they  did  not  think  it  prudent  to  molest  them. 
Having  been  safely  ferried  over  the  river,  with  all  their  bag- 
gage, they  encamped  two  days  afterwards  amid  some  mounds, 


96  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

or  ancient  burial-places  of  the  Indians.  Here  Joseph  played 
the  "prophet,"  and  gave  his  followers  an  additional  proof  of 
the  authenticity  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  of  the  history  of 
the  Lamanites,  the  descendants  of  the  Jews,  therein  recorded. 
This  was  a  master-stroke  of  policy.  "  The  contemplation  of 
the  scenery,"  says  Joseph,  "  produced  peculiar  sensations  in 
our  bosoms.  The  brethren  procured  a  shovel  and  a  hoe,  and 
removing  the  earth  of  one  of  the  mounds,  to  the  depth  of 
about  a  foot,  discovered  the  skeleton  of  a  man  almost  entire, 
and  between  his  ribs  was  a  Lamanitish  arrow.  The  visions 
of  the  past  being  opened  to  my  understanding,  by  the  spirit  of 
the  Almighty,  I  discovered  that  the  person  whose  skeleton  was 
before  us,  was  a  white  Lamanite,  a  large  thick-set  man,  and 
a  man  of  God.  He  was  a  warrior  and  chieftain  under  the 
great  prophet  Omandagus,  who  was  known  from  the  hill 
Cumorah,  or  Easter  Sea,  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  His  name 
was  Zelph.  He  was  killed  in  battle  by  the  arrow  found 
among  his  ribs,  during  the  last  great  struggle  of  the  Lama- 
nites and  Nephites."  On  the  next  day,  refreshed  by  this  in- 
cident, and  marvellously  confirmed  in  the  faith  by  the  wis- 
dom and  knowledge  of  their  Prophet,  they  moved  onwards, 
and  crossed  the  Mississippi  river,  into  the  limits  of  the  State 
of  Missouri. 

The  following  extracts  from  the  journal  or  diary  of  one  of 
the  elders  who  accompanied  the  Prophet,  will  show  the  in- 
fluence he  exercised,  and  the  manner  in  which  his  singular 
journey  was  conducted  : — 

"  This  day,  June  3d,  while  we  were  refreshing  ourselves 
and  teams,  about  the  middle  of  the  day,  Brother  Joseph  got 
up  in  a  wagon  and  said  that  he  would  deliver  a  prophecy. 
After  giving  the  brethren  much  good  advice,  exhorting  them 
to  faithfulness  and  humility,  he  said  '  the  Lord  had  told  him 
that  there  would  be  a  scourge  come  upon  the  camp,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  fractious  and  unruly  spirits  that  appeared  among 


JOURNEY    OF    THE    SAINTS.  9f 

them,  and  they  should  die  like  sheep  with  the  rot ;  still,  if 
they  would  repent  and  humble  themselves  before  the  Lord, 
the  scourge,  in  a  great  measure,  might  be  turned  away  :  but, 
as  the  Lord  lived,  the  camp  would  suffer  for  giving  way  to 
their  unruly  temper,'  which  afterwards  actually  did  take 
place,  to  the  sorrow  of  the  brethren. 

"  The  same  day,  when  we  had  got  within  one  mile  of  the 
Snye,  we  came  to  a  very  beautiful  little  town  called  Atlas. 
Here  we  found  honey  fur  the  first  time  on  our  journey,  that 
we  could  buy ;  we  purchased  about  two  thirds  of  a  barrel. 
We  went  down  to  the  Snye  and  crossed  over  that  night  in  a 
ferry-boat.  We  encamped  for  the  night  on  the  bank  of  the 
Snye.  There  was  a  great  excitement  in  the  country  through 
which  we  had  passed,  and  also  a-head  of  us  ;  the  mob  threat- 
ened to  stop  us.  Guns  were  fired  in  almost  all  directions 
through  the  night.  Brother  Joseph  did  not  sleep  much,  if 
any,  but  was  through  the  camp  pretty  much  during  the 
night. 

"  We  pursued  our  journey  on  the  4th,  and  encamped  on 
the  bank  of  the  Mississippi  river.  Here  we  were  somewhat 
afflicted,  and  the  enemy  threatened  much  that  we  should  not 
cross  over  the  river  out  of  Illinois  into  Missouri.  It  took  us 
two  days  to  cross  the  river,  as  we  had  but  one  ferry-boat,  and 
the  river  was  one  mile  and  a  half  wide.  While  some  were 
crossing,  many  others  spent  their  time  in  hunting  and  fishing, 
&c.  When  we  had  all  got  over,  we  encamped  about  one 
mile  back  from  the  little  town  of  Louisiana,  in  a  beautiful 
oak  grove,  which  is  immediately  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 
At  this  place  there  were  some  feelings  of  hostility  manifested 
by  Sylvester  Smith,  in  consequence  of  a  dog  growling  at  him 
while  he  was  marching  his  company  up  to  the  camp,  he  being 
the  last  that  came  over  the  river.  The  next  morning  Brother 
Joseph  said  that  he  would  descend  to  the  spirit  that  was  man- 
ifested by  some  of  the  brethren,  to  let  them  see  the  folly  of 

7 


98  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

their  wickedness.  He  rose  up,  and  commenced  speaking  hj 
saying,  '  If  any  man  insults  me,  or  abuses  me,  I  will  stand  in 
my  own  defence  at  the  expense  of  my  life  ;  and  if  a  dog  growl 
at  me,  I  will  let  him  know  that  I  am  his  master.'  At  this 
moment  Sylvester  Smith,  who  had  just  returned  from  where 
he  had  turned  out  his  horses  to  feed,  came  up,  and  hearing 
Brother  Joseph  make  these  remarks,  said,  '  If  that  dog  bites 
me,  I'll  kill  him.'  Brother  Joseph  turned  to  Sylvester  and 
said,  '  If  you  kill  that  dog,  I'll  whip  you,'  and  then  went  on  to 
show  the  brethren  how  wicked  and  unchristian  like  such  con- 
duct appeared  before  the  eyes  of  truth  and  justice. 

"  On  Friday,  the  6th,  we  resumed  our  journey.  On  Satur- 
day, the  7th,  at  night  we  camped  among  our  brethren  at  Salt 
River,  in  the  Allred  settlement,  in  a  piece  of  woods  by  a  beau- 
tiful spring  of  water,  and  prepared  for  the  Sabbath.  On  the 
Sabbath  we  had  preaching.  Here  we  remained  several  days, 
washing  our  clothes,  and  preparing  to  pursue  our  journey. 
Here  we  were  joined  by  Hyrum  Smith  and  Lyman  Wight, 
with  another  company.  The  camp  now  numbered  two  hun- 
dred and  five  men,  all  armed  and  equipped  as  the  law  directs. 
It  was  delightful  to  see  the  company,  for  they  were  all  young 
men,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  and  in  good  spirits." 

Another  entry  in  the  same  diary  will  be  interesting  to  those 
who  wish  to  trace  the  slight  incidents  upon  which  strong  fa- 
naticism supports  itself.  The  meteors  of  the  13th  of  Novem- 
ber, which  are  annually  looked  for  by  the  observers  of  the 
heavens,  were  to  the  Mormons  then,  as  they  are  now,  con- 
vincing proofs  of  the  truth  of  Mormonism,  and  signs  of  the 
Latter  Days  : — 

"  November  13th. — About  4  o'clock  a.m.  I  was  awakened 
by  Brother  Davis  knocking  at  my  door,  and  calling  on  me  to 
arise  and  behold  the  signs  in  the  heavens.  I  arose,  and,  to 
my  great  joy,  beheld  the  stars  fall  from  heaven  like  a  shower 
of  hailstones  ;  a  literal  fulfilment  of  the  word  of  God,  as  re- 


SIGNS    OF   THE    LATTER   DAYS.  99 

corded  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  as  a  sure  sign  that  the  coming 
of  Christ  is  close  at  hand.  In  the  midst  of  this  shower  of  fire, 
I  was  led  to  exclaim  :  How  marvellous  are  thy  works,  0 
Lord  !  I  thank  thee  for  thy  mercy  unto  thy  servant ;  save 
me  in  thy  kingdom,  for  Christ's  sake.      Amen. 

"  The  appearance  of  these  signs  varied  in  different  sections 
of  the  country  :  in  Zion,  all  heaven  seemed  enwrapped  in 
splendid  fire-works,  as  if  every  star  in  the  broad  expanse  had 
been  suddenly  hurled  from  its  course,  and  sent  lawless  through 
the  wilds  of  ether  ;  some  at  times  appeared  like  bright  shoot- 
ing meteors  with  long  trains  of  light  following  in  their  course, 
and  in  numbers  resembled  large  drops  of  rain  in  sunshine. 
Some  of  the  long  trains  of  light  following  the  meteoric  stars 
were  visible  for  some  seconds  ;  these  streaks  would  curl  and 
twist  up  like  serpents  writhing.  The  appearance  was  beau- 
tiful, grand,  and  sublime  beyond  description  ;  as  though  all  the 
artillery  and  fire-works  of  eternity  were  set  in  motion  to  en- 
chant and  entertain  the  Saints,  and  terrify  and  awe  the  sin- 
ners on  the  earth.  Beautiful  and  terrific  as  was  the  scenery, 
which  might  be  compared  to  the  falling  figs  or  fruit  when  the 
tree  is  shaken  by  a  mighty  wind  ;  yet,  it  will  nut  fully  com- 
pare with  the  time  when  the  sun  shall  become  black  like 
sack-cloth  of  hair,  the  moon  like  blood  (Rev.  vi.  13)  ;  and  the 
stars  fall  to  the  earth,  as  these  appeared  to  vanish  when  they 
fell  behind  the  trees,  or  came  near  the  ground." 

Joseph  was  now  on  a  dangerous  territory,  and  chose  twenty 
men  for  his  body-guard,  appointing  his  brother  Hyrum  Smith  as 
their  captain,  and  another  brother,  George  Smith,  as  his  armor- 
bearer.  He  also  appointed  a  "  general,"  who  daily  inspected 
the  little  army,  examined  their  fire-locks,  and  drilled  them  on 
the  prairies.  The  people  of  Jackson  County,  by  this  time, 
were  informed  of  Joseph  Smith's  arrival  with  his  army.  A 
deputation  of  them,  who  were  in  Clay  County,  to  submit  a 
proposal  for  the  purchase  of  all  the  Mormon  lands  in  Inde- 


100  HISTORY   OF   THE    MORMONS. 

pendence,  no  sooner  heard  that  the  Prophet  was  in  the  field 
in  person,  than  they  returned  towards  their  own  county  to 
raise  a  force  with  which  to  meet  and  chastise  him.  One  of 
their  leaders,  named  Campbell,  swore,  as  he  adjusted  his  pis- 
tols in  his  holsters,  "that  the  eagles  and  turkey  buzzards 
should  eat  his  flesh  if  he  did  not,  before  two  days,  fix  Joe 
Smith  and  his  army,  so  that  their  skins  should  not  hold 
shucks."  Joseph,  who  relates  this  story,  adds,  that  Campbell 
and  his  men  "went  to  the  ferry  and  undertook  to  cross  the 
Missouri  river  after  dusk  ;  but  the  angel  of  God  saw  fit  to 
sink  the  boat  about  the  middle  of  the  river,  and  seven  out  of 
the  twelve  that  attempted  to  cross  were  drowned.  Thus  sud- 
denly and  justly,"  he  adds,  with  great  complacency,  "  they 
went  to  their  own  place  by  water.  Campbell  was  among  the 
missing.  He  floated  down  the  river  some  four  or  five  miles, 
and  lodged  upon  a  pile  of  drift  wood,  where  the  eagles,  buz- 
zards, ravens,  crows,  and  wild  animals,  ate  his  flesh  from  his 
bones,  to  fulfil  his  own  words,  and  left  him  a  horrible-looking 
skeleton  of  God's  vengeance,  which  was  discovered  about 
three  weeks  afterwards  by  one  Mr.  Purtle." 

Joseph,  much  delighted  at  the  death  of  Campbell  and  his 
men,  and  at  the  discovery  of  the  fleshless  bones  of  his  enemy 
by  "  Mr.  Purtle,"  continued  his  march,  and  had  a  new  "  rev- 
elation" from  the  Lord,  to  comfort  and  excite  his  people.  The 
cholera,  however,  broke  out  in  his  camp  on  the  24th  of  June, 
and  Joseph  attempted  to  cure  it  by  "  laying  on  of  his  hands 
and  prayer."  He  failed,  however,  to  do  any  good,  and  ac- 
counted for  his  failure  by  stating  that  "  he  quickly  learned  by 
painful  experience  that  when  the  Great  Jehovah  decrees  de- 
struction, man  must  not  attempt  to  stay  his  hand."  Though 
he  could  not  cure  the  cholera,  he  endeavored  to  maintain  his 
influence  over  the  minds  of  his  followers,  and  impress  them 
more  forcibly  with  the  miraculous  nature  of  his  mission,  by 
stating  that  the  enemies  of  the  Mormons  would  suffer  more 


JOSEPH    SMITH    IN    MISSOURI.  101 

severely  from  the  visitation  than  the  Mormons  themselves. 
He  laid  particular  stress  upon  the  case  of  a  woman  who  re- 
fused a  Saint  some  water  to  drink.  "  Before  a  week,"  said 
the  prophet,  "  the  cholera  entered  that  house,  and  that  woman 
and  three  others  of  the  family  were  dead."  Joseph  lost  thir- 
teen of  his  band  by  the  ravages  of  the  disease.  On  the  1st  of 
July  he  crossed  into  Jackson  County,  with  a  few  friends,  "  to 
set  his  feet  once  more  on  that  goodly  land  ;"  and,  after  re- 
maining one  day,  proceeded  with  the  remainder  of  his  com- 
pany to  Clay  County.  He  did  not  remain  long  with  the  Saints, 
for  we  find  that  he  arrived  on  the  2d,  and  started  back  for 
Kirtland  on  the  9th.  It  was  not  prudent,  it  appears,  that  he 
should  make  himself  too  familiar  with  his  believers.  The 
great  man  was  not  to  be  seen  too  closely  with  impunity,  for 
some  of  his  travelling  companions  began  to  accuse  him  of 
"  prophesying  lies  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,"  and  also  of  ap- 
propriating "moneys"  to  which  he  had  no  right.  But  Joseph 
Smith  was  not  a  man  to  be  daunted  by  domestic  treason  or 
enemies  in  his  own  camp  ;  and  short  as  was  the  time  he 
stayed,  he  did  not  depart  without  organizing  and  encouraging 
the  main  body  of  the  fugitives  from  Jackson  County,  and  es- 
tablishing the  community  in  Clay  County  on  a  better  footing 
than  when  he  arrived.  On  his  return  to  Kirtland,  his  first 
step  was  to  bring  to  trial  before  his  church  the  brother  who 
accused  him  of  "  prophesying  lies,"  and  of  appropriating 
moneys.  The  brother  confessed  his  error,  retracted  his  charge, 
and  was  forgiven. 

The  history  of  the  seet  for  the  next  three  years  is  one  of 
strife  and  contention  with  their  unrelenting  and  vindictive  en- 
rnies  in  Missouri.  The  numbers  of  Mormons  increased  with  the 
numbers  of  their  opponents  ;  and  the  warfare  raged  so  bitterly 
that  the  whole  people  of  Missouri  were  ranged  either  on  one 
side  or  the  other.  In  the  autumn  of  1837,  Joseph's  bank  at 
Kirtland  stopped  payment ;  the  district  was  flooded  with  its 


102  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

worthless  paper,  and  Joseph  had  a  "  revelation"  commanding 
him  to  depart  finally  for  Missouri,  and  live  among  the  Saints 
in  the  land  of  their  inheritance.  Joseph  obeyed  the  "  revela- 
tion" by  departing  secretly  in  the  night.  His  enemies  assert 
that  he  went  "  between  two  days,"  as  it  is  called  in  America, 
and  that  he  left  his  creditors  to  their  remedy.  He  found  the 
affairs  of  his  church  in  considerable  confusion  on  his  arrival. 
The  Saints  formed  a  numerous  and  powerful  body,  but  they 
did  not  agree  among  themselves  ;  and  occasional  seceders  and 
deserters  from  their  camp — many  of  them  consisting  of  men 
who  were  ashamed  of  their  previous  delusions,  and  of  others 
who  were  actuated  by  vindictive  motives  or  disappointed  am- 
bition— spread  abroad  all  sorts  of  rumors  and  stories  to  the 
disadvantage  of  the  sect.  The  great  schism,  already  alluded 
to,  broke  out  in  1838,  when  Joseph  Smith  found  it  necessary 
to  denounce  some  of  his  oldest  confederates,  among  others 
"  Oliver  Cowdery,"  one  of  the  three  witnesses  to  the  authen- 
ticity of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  the  existence  of  the  gold 
plates;  Martin  Harris,  another  witness ;  Sidney  Kigdon,  his 
co-equal  in  the  government  of  the  church,  and  various  disci- 
ples and  apostles.  Sidney  Rigdon  was  afterwards  forgiven, 
being  too  important  a  personage  to  be  converted  into  an  enemy. 
In  the  midst  of  these  squabbles,  the  people  of  Jackson  County, 
joined  by  the  people  of  Clay  County,  Caldwell  County,  and 
other  districts,  made  a  series  of  pertinacious  efforts  to  expel 
them  finally  from  Missouri. 

A  very  clear  narrative  of  these  events  was  given  in  evidence 
upon  oath  by  Hyrum,  the  brother  of  Joseph  Smith,  at  one  of 
the  numerous  criminal  trials,  which  were  instituted  against 
the  members  of  the  sect.  It  appears  from  this  statement  that 
at  a  popular  election  in  1838,  at  Gallatin,  in  Davis  County, 
the  old  ill-feeling  having  arisen  with  more  than  its  usual  viru- 
lence, the  mob  would  not  allow  any  Mormons  to  exercise  their 
privilege  of  voting  ;  and  that  a  desperate  fight,  in  which  two 


AGGRESSIONS    UPON    THE    MORMONS.  103 

men  were  killed,  and  as  many  persons  seriously  hurt,  was  the 
result.  Both  parties  armed  to  defend  themselves,  and  carried 
on  a  gueriila  warfare  for  several  weeks.  The  cry  was  raised 
by  the  anti-Mormons,  that  there  would  be  no  peace  in  the 
country  as  long  as  a  single  Mormon  was  allowed  to  re- 
main within  it.  Early  in  the  September  of  that  year,  the 
mob  assembled  at  a  place  called  Millport,  near  Adam-On- 
Diahman — "and,"  to  use  the  words  of  Hyrum  Smith,  "  com- 
menced making  aggressions  upon  the  Mormons,  taking  away 
their  hogs  and  cattle,  and  threatening  them  with  extermina- 
tion, or  utter  extinction  ;  saying  that  they  had  a  cannon,  and 
there  should  be  no  compromise  only  at  its  mouth  :  frequently 
taking  men,  women,  and  children  prisoners,  whipping  them 
and  lacerating  their  bodies  with  hickory  withes,  and  tying 
them  to  trees  and  depriving  them  of  food  until  they  were 
compelled  to  gnaw  the  bark  from  the  trees  to  which  they  were 
bound,  in  order  to  sustain  life  ;  treating  them  in  the  most 
cruel  manner  they  could  invent  or  think  of,  and  doing  every- 
thing they  could  to  excite  the  indignation  of  the  Mormon  peo- 
ple to  rescue  them,  in  order  that  they  might  make  that  a 
pretext  of  an  accusation  for  the  breach  of  the  law.  and 
that  they  might  the  better  excite  the  prejudice  of  the 
populace,  and  thereby  get  aid  and  assistance  to  carry  out  their 
hellish  purposes  of  extermination."  We  continue  the  narra- 
tive as  given  in  Hyrum  Smith's  evidence  : — "  Immediately  on 
the  authentication  of  these  facts,  messengers  were  despatched 
from  Far  West  to  Austin  A.  King,  Judge  of  the  district,  and 
to  Major-General  Atchison,  Commander-in-Chief  of  that  di- 
vision, and  Brigadier-General  Doniphan,  demanding  immediate 
assistance.  General  Atchison  returned  with  the  messengers, 
and  went  immediately  to  Diahman.  and  from  thence  to  Mill- 
port, and  he  found  the  facts  were  true  as  reported  to  him  ; — 
that  the  citizens  of  that  county  were  assembled  together  in 
a  hostile  attitude  to  the  amount  of  two  or  three  hundred  men, 


104  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

threatening  the  utter  extermination  of  the  Mormons,  he  im- 
mediately returned  to  Clay  County,  and  ordered  out  a  suffi- 
cient military  force  to  quell  the  mob.  Immediately  after  they 
were  dispersed,  and  the  army  returned,  the  mob  commenced 
collecting  again  soon  after.  We  again  applied  for  military 
aid,  when  General  Doniphan  came  out  with  a  force  of  sixty 
armed  men  to  Far  West ;  but  they  were  in  such  a  state  of 
insubordination  that  he  said  he  could  not  control  them. 

"  After  witnessing  the  distressed  situation  of  the  people  in 
Biahman,  my  brother  Joseph  Smith,  Senior,  and  myself,  re- 
turned back  to  the  city  of  Far  West,  and  immediately  de- 
spatched a  messenger,  with  written  documents,  to  General 
Atchison,  stating  the  facts  as  they  did  then  exist,  praying  for 
assistance  if  possible,  and  requesting  the  editor  of  The  Far 
West  to  insert  the  same  in  his  newspaper ;  but  he  utterly  re- 
fused to  do  so.  We  still  believed  that  we  should  get  assist- 
ance from  the  Governor,  and  again  petitioned  him,  praying 
for  assistance,  setting  forth  our  distressed  situation  ;  and  in 
the  meantime  the  presiding  Judge  of  the  County  Court  issued 
orders — upon  affidavits  made  to  him  by  the  citizens — to  the 
sheriff  of  the  county,  to  order  out  the  militia  of  the  county  to 
stand  in  constant  readiness,  night  and  day,  to  prevent  the  cit- 
izens from  being  massacred,  which  fearful  situation  they  were 
exposed  to  every  moment. 

"  It  was  on  the  evening  of  the  30th  of  October,  according 
to  the  best  of  my  recollection,  that  the  army  arrived  at  Far 
West,  the  sun  about  half  an  hour  high.  In  a  few  moments 
afterwards,  Cornelius  Gillum  arrived  with  his  army,  and  formed 
a  junction.  This  Gillum  had  been  stationed  at  Hunter's  Mills 
for  about  two  months  previous  to  that  time — committing  depre- 
dations upon  the  inhabitants — capturing  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, and  carrying  them  off  as  prisoners,  lacerating  their  bodies 
with  hickory  withes.  The  army  of  '  Gillum'  were  painted  like 
Indians,  some  of  them  were  more  conspicuous  than  others,  and 


MASSACRE   OF   MORMONS   AT   HAUN's   MILL. 


MASSACRE    AT    HAUN'S    MILL. 


107 


were  designated  the  red  spots  ;  he,  also,  was  painted  in  a  sim- 
ilar manner,  with  red  spots  marked  on  his  face,  and  styled 
himself  the  'Delaware  Chief.'  They  would  whoop,  and  hol- 
low, and  yell  as  near  like  Indians  as  they  could,  and  continued 
to  do  so  all  that  night.  In  the  morning  early,  the  Colonel  of 
Militia  sent  a  messenger  into  the  camp  with  a  white  flag,  to 
have  another  interview  with  General  Doniphan.  On  his  re- 
turn he  informed  us  that  the  Governor's  orders  had  arrived. 
General  Doniphan  said  that  '  the  order  of  the  Governor 
was,  to  exterminate  the  Mormons  ;  but  he  would  not  obey 
that  order,  but  General  Lucas  might  do  what  he  pleased.' 
We  immediately  learned  from  General  Doniphan  that  'the 
Governor's  order  that  had  arrived  was  only  a  copy  of  the  ori- 
ginal, and  that  the  original  order  was  in  the  hands  of  Major- 
General  Clark,  who  was  on  his  way  to  Far  West,  with  an 
additional  army  of  six  thousand  men.'  Immediately  after 
this,  there  came  into  the  city  a  messenger  from  Haun's  Mill, 
bringing  the  intelligence  of  an  awful  massacre  of  the  people 
who  were  residing  in  that  place,  and  that  a  force  of  two  or 
three  hundred,  detached  from  the  main  body  of  the  army,  un- 
der the  superior  command  of  Colonel  Ashley,  but  under  the 
immediate  command  of  Captain  Nehemiah  Compstock,  who, 
the  day  previous,  had  promised  them  peace  and  protection, 
but  on  receiving  a  copy  of  the  Governor's  order,  '  to  extermi- 
nate or  to  expeV  from  the  hands  of  Colonel  Ashley,  he  re- 
turned upon  them  the  following  day,  and  surprised  and  mas- 
sacred the  whole  population,  and  then  came  on  to  the  town 
of  Far  West,  and  entered  into  conjunction  with  the  main 
body  of  the  army.  The  messenger  informed  us  that  he  him- 
self with  a  few  others  fled  into  the  thickets,  which  preserved 
them  from  the  massacre,  and  on  the  following  morning  re- 
turned and  collected  the  dead  bodies  of  the  people,  and  cast 
them  into  a  well.  There  were  upwards  of  twenty  who  were 
dead  or  mortally  wounded.     One,  of  the  name  of  Yocum,  has 


108  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

lately  had  his  leg  amputated,  in  consequence  of  wounds  he 
then  received.  He  had  a  ball  shot  through  his  head,  which 
entered  near  his  eye,  and  came  out  at  the  back  part  of  his 
head,  and  another  ball  passed  through  one  of  his  arms. 

"  The  army,  during  all  the  while  they  had  been  encamped 
in  Far  West,  continued  to  lay  waste  fields  of  corn,  making 
hogs,  sheep,  and  cattle  common  plunder,  and  shooting  them 
down  for  sport.  One  man  shot  a  cow,  and  took  a  strip  of  her 
skin,  the  width  of  his  hand,  from  her  head  to  her  tail,  and 
tied  it  around  a  tree,  to  slip  his  halter  into,  to  tie  his  horse  to. 
The  city  was  surrounded  with  a  strong  guard,  and  no  man, 
woman,  or  child  was  permitted  to  go  out  or  come  in,  under 
the  penalty  of  death.  Many  of  the  citizens  were  shot  in  at- 
tempting to  go  out  to  obtain  sustenance  for  themselves  and 
families." 

It  was  not  to  be  expected  that  the  Mormons,  exposed  to  a 
series  of  persecutions  and  outrages  like  these,  and  in  a  country 
so  utterly  lawless,  should  not  take  measures  to  defend  them- 
selves. As  it  was  unsafe  for  a  Mormon  to  stir  abroad,  a  body 
of  them,  instituted  expressly  for  the  defence  of  the  sect,  and 
possibly  on  the  recommendation  of  the  Governor  of  Missouri 
given  to  them  some  years  before,  was  organized  under  the 
name  of  the  "  Danite  Band,"  or,  as  they  were  sometimes 
called,  the  "Destroying  Angels."  An  affidavit  made  before 
a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Ray  County,  Missouri,  on  the  24th 
of  October,  1838,  and  sworn  by  a  man  named  Marsh,  who 
had  held  office  in  the  Mormon  church,  and  another  affidavit, 
signed  by  Orson  Hyde,  an  ex-apostle  of  the  church,  alleged 
the  following  facts  with  reference  to  the  "  Danites,"  and  their 
proceedings  : — 

"  They  have  among  them  a  company,  consisting  of  all  that  are 
considered  true  Mormons,  called  the  Danites,  who  have  taken  an 
oath  to  support  the  heads  of  the  church  in  all  things  that  they  say 
or  do,  whether  right  or  wrong.     Many,  however,  of  this  band  are 


THE    DANTTE    BAND. 


109 


much  dissatisfied  with  this  oath,  as  being  against  moral  and  religious 
principles.  On  Saturday  last,  I  am  informed  by  the  Mormons  that 
they  had  a  meeting  at  Far  West,  at  which  they  appointed  a  company 
of  twelve,  by  the  name  of  the  Destruction  Company,  for  the  purpose 
of  burning  and  destroying  ;  and  that  if  the  people  of  Buncombe 
came  to  do  mischief  upon  the  people  of  Caldwell,  and  committed 
depredations  upon  the  Mormons,  they  were  to  burn  Buncombe ;  and 
if  the  people  of  Clay  and  Ray  made  any  movement  against  them, 
this  destroying  company  were  to  burn  Liberty  and  Richmond.  The 
plan  of  said  Smith,  the  prophet,  is  to  take  this  State ;  and  he  pro- 
fesses to  his  people  to  intend  taking  the  United  States,  and  ultimate- 
ly the  whole  world.  This  is  the  belief  of  the  church,  and  my  own 
opinion  of  the  prophet's  plans  and  intentions.  The  prophet  incul- 
cates the  notion,  and  it  is  believed  by  every  true  Mormon,  that 
Smith's  prophecies  are  superior  to  the  law  of  the  land.  I  have  heard 
the  prophet  say  that  he  would  yet  tread  down  his  enemies,  and  walk 
over  their  dead  bodies :  that  if  he  was  not  let  alone,  he  would  be  a 
second  Mahomet  to  this  generation,  and  that  he  would  make  it  one 
gore  of  blood  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean ; 
that,  like  Mahomet,  whose  motto,  in  treating  for  peace,  was  i  the 
Alcoran  or  the  sword,'  so  should  it  be  eventually  with  us, '  Joseph 
Smith  or  the  sword.'  These  last  statements  were  made  during  the 
last  summer.  The  number  of  armed  men  at  Adam-On-Diahman 
was  between  three  and  four  hundred.  Thomas  B.  March. 

"  Sworn  to  and  subscribed  before  me,  the  day  herein  written. 

"  Henry  Jacobs,  J. P.,  Ray  County,  Missouri. 

"  Richmond,  Missouri,  October  24,  1838." 

"  AFFIDAVIT    OF    ORSON    HYDE.^ 

"  The  most  of  the  statements  in  the  foregoing  disclosure  of  T.  B. 
March  I  know  to  be  true  ;  the  remainder  I  believe  to  be  true. 

"Orson  Hyde,  Richmond,  Oct.  24,  1838. 
"  Sworn  to  and  subscribed  before  me  on  the  day  above  written. 

"Henry  Jacobs,  J.P." 

*  This  Orson  Hyde  appears  to  have  rejoined  the  Mormous,  and  to 
have  been  present  at  the  trial  of  Sidney  Rigdon,  after  the  death  of 
Joseph  Smith. 


110  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

"  CERTIFICATE    OF    THOMAS    B.  CHURCH  AND    OTHERS. 

"  The  undersigned  committee,  on  the  part  of  the  citizens  of  Ray 
County,  have  no  doubt  but  Thomas  B.  March  and  Orson  Hyde, 
whose  names  are  signed  to  the  foregoing  certificates,  have  been 
members  of  the  Mormon  church  in  full  fellowship  until  very  recent- 
ly, when  they  voluntarily  abandoned  the  Mormon  church  and  faith, 
and  that  said  March  was,  at  the  time  of  his  dissenting,  the  president 
of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  and  president  of  the  church  at  Far  West; 
and  that  said  Hyde  was  at  that  time  one  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  and 
that  they  left  church,  and  abandoned  the  faith  of  the  Mormons,  from 
a  conviction  of  their  immorality  and  impiety. 

"  Thomas  C.  Burch. 

William  Hudgins. 

Henry  Jacobs. 

George  Woodward. 

J.  R.  Hendley. 

C.  R.  MOREHEAD. 

"Richmond,  October  24,  1838."  O.  H.  Searcy." 

These  and  other  statements  of  a  similar  kind,  many  of 
which  were  doubtless  highly  exaggerated,  were  daily  incul- 
cated, and  produced  the  effect  of  still  further  exasperating  the 
people  against  Joseph  and  his  disciples.  The  Mormons,  seeing 
the  law  broken  by  their  opponents,  refused  obedience  to  the 
law  themselves.  They  fortified  their  farms  and  towns,  and 
treated  with  contempt  the  legal  processes  which  it  was  at- 
tempted to  serve  upon  them.  The  militia  of  the  State  was 
again  called  out,  under  the  command  of  General  Doniphan. 
His  measures  were  so  vigorous,  and  the  fury  of  the  people 
against  Joseph  was  so  great,  that  the  Mormons,  dreading  the 
general  massacre  of  their  sect,  so  long  threatened,  laid  down 
their  arms,  and  finally  resolved  to  leave  the  State  of  Missouri 
and  take  refuge  in  Illinois,  then  very  partially  cleared  and 
settled. 

The  following  address,  which  is  of  itself  sufficient  evidence 
of  the  cruelty  and  injustice  with  which  the  sect  was  treated, 


PERSECUTIONS    IN    MISSOURI.  Ill 

was  delivered  at  Far  West,  by  Major-General  Clark,  to  the 
Mormons,  after  they  had  surrendered  their  arms,  and  declared 
themselves  prisoners  of  war  : — 

"  Gentlemen, — You  whose  names  are  not  attached  to  this  list  of 
names,  will  now  have  the  privilege  of  going  to  your  fields  to  obtain 
corn  for  your  families,  wood,  &c.  Those  that  are  now  taken  will  go 
from  thence  to  prison,  be  tried,  and  receive  the  due  demerit  of  their 
crimes  ;  but  you  are  now  at  liberty,  all  but  such  as  charges  may  be 
hereafter  preferred  against.  It  now  devolves  upon  you  to  fulfil  the 
treaty  that  you  have  entered  into,  the  leading  items  of  which  I  now 
lay  before  you.  The  first  of  these  you  have  already  complied  with, 
which  is,  that  you  deliver  up  your  leading  men  to  be  tried  according 
to  law.  Second,  that  you  deliver  up  your  arms — this  has  been  at- 
tended to.  The  third  is,  that  you  sign  over  your  properties  to  de- 
fray the  expenses  of  the  war — this  you  have  also  done.  Another 
thing  yet  remains  for  you  to  comply  with — that  is,  that  you  leave 
the  State  forthwith  ;  and  whatever  your  feelings  concerning  this 
affair,  whatever  your  innocence,  it  is  nothing  to  me.  General  Lucas, 
who  is  equal  in  authority  with  me,  has  made  this  treaty  with  you. 
I  am  determined  to  see  it  executed.  The  orders  of  the  Governor  to 
me  were,  that  you  should  be  exterminated,  and  not  allowed  to  con- 
tinue in  the  State ;  and  had  your  leader  not  been  given  up,  and  the 
treaty  complied  with,  before  this,  you  and  your  families  would  have 
been  destroyed,  and  your  houses  in  ashes. 

There  is  a  discretionary  power  vested  in  my  hands,  which  I  shall 
try  to  exercise  for  a  season.  I  did  not  say  that  you  shall  go  now; 
but  you  must  not  think  of  staying  here  another  season,  or  of  putting 
in  crops  ;  for  the  moment  you  do,  the  citizens  will  be  upon  you.  I 
am  determined  to  see  the  Governor's  Message  fulfilled,  but  shall  not 
come  upon  you  immediately — do  not  think  that  I  shall  act  as  I  have 
done  any  more — but  if  I  have  to  come  again,  because  the  treaty 
which  you  have  made  here  shall  be  broken,  you  need  not  expect  any 
mercy,  but  extermination ;  for  I  am  determined  the  Governor's  or- 
der shall  be  executed.  As  for  your  leaders,  do  not  once  think — do 
not  imagine  for  a  moment — do  not  let  it  enter  your  mind — that  they 
will  be  delivered,  or  that  you  will  see  their  faces  again ;  for  their 
fate  is  fixed,  their  die  is  cast,  their  doom  is  sealed. 


112  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

"  I  am  sorry,  gentlemen,  to  see  so  great  a  number  of  apparently 
intelligent  men  found  in  the  situation  that  you  are  ; — and,  oh  !  that 
I  could  invoke  the  spirit  of  the  unknown  God  to  rest  upon  you,  and 
deliver  you  from  that  awful  chain  of  superstition,  and  liberate  you 
from  those  fetters  of  fanaticism  with  which  you  are  bound.  I  would 
advise  you  to  scatter  abroad,  and  never  again  organize  with  bishops, 
presidents,  &c,  lest  you  excite  the  jealousies  of  the  people,  and  sub- 
ject yourselves  to  the  same  calamities  that  have  now  come  upon 
you.  You  have  always  been  the  aggressors,  you  have  brought  upon 
yourselves  these  difficulties  by  being  disaffected,  and  not  being  sub- 
ject to  rule — and  my  advice  is,  that  you  become  as  other  citizens, 
lest  by  a  recurrence  of  these  events,  you  bring  upon  yourselves  ir- 
retrievable ruin." 

While  the  great  body  of  the  Mormons  were  thus  barbar- 
ously dealt  with,  and  while  General  Clark  so  coolly  spoke  of 
their  "  extermination"  as  a  result  which  they  might  expect, 
the  Prophet  himself  was  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  his  ene- 
mies, and  taken  into  custody,  to  answer  the  various  charges 
of  treason,  murder,  and  felony,  which  were  brought  against 
him.  His  brother  Hyrum,  and  three  other  leaders  of  the  sect, 
were  apprehended  at  the  same  time.  The  "  treason"  was  for 
making  war  against  the  State  of  Missouri,  the  "  murder"  was 
the  death  of  the  two  men  in  the  affray  at  Gallatin,  and  the 
"  felony"  was  the  destruction  and  robbery  of  property  com- 
mitted by  the  Danite  band.  Though  Joseph  at  first  antici- 
pated an  acquittal  upon  the  whole  of  these  charges,  the  mob 
breathed  such  vengeance  against  him  that  he  made  an  at- 
tempt to  escape  after  he  had  been  a  few  weeks  in  prison.  His 
attempt,  however,  was  discovered  and  foiled,  partly  by  the 
breaking  of  an  auger  with  which  he  was  at  work,  and  partly 
by  the  indiscretion  of  his  friends  outside. 

Hyrum  Smith,  in  a  "  Communication  to  the  Saints  scat- 
tered abroad,"  published  in  the  first  volume  of  the  Times,  and 
Seasons,  a  year  after  the  events  described,  gave  a  painfully 
interesting  account  of  the  sufferings  and  persecutions  which 


PERSECUTIONS    IN    MISSOURI.  113 

he  and  other  members  of  the  sect  underwent  at  this  time,  in 
which  he  recapitulated  the  main  portion  of  the  evidence  from 
which  we  have  quoted,  and  added  many  other  facts,  which 
are  necessary  to  the  proper  understanding  of  the  narrative. 

"  It  would  be  unnecessary  for  me,"  he  said,  "  to  enter  into  the 
particulars  prior  to  my  settlement  in  Missouri,  or  give  an  account 
of  my  journey  to  that  State  ;  suffice  it  to  say,  that  after  having  en- 
dured almost  all  manner  of  abuse,  which  poured  out  upon  the 
Church  of  Latter-Day  Saints,  from  its  commencement,  by  wicked 
and  ungodly  men.  I  left  Kirtland,  Ohio,  the  beginning  of  March, 
1838,  with  a  family  consisting  of  ten  individuals,  and  with  means 
only  sufficient  to  take  us  one  half  the  way.  The  weather  was  very 
unpropitious,  and  the  roads  were  worse  than  I  had  ever  seen  them 
before.  However,  after  enduring  many  privations  and  much  fatigue, 
through  the  kind  providence  of  God,  I  arrived  with  my  family  in  Far 
West,  the  latter  part  of  May,  where  I  found  many  of  my  friends 
who  had  borne  the  heat  and  burthen  of  the  day,  and  whose  priva- 
tions and  sufferings  for  Christ's  sake  had  been  great,  with  whom  I 
fondly  hoped  and  anticipated  the  pleasure  of  spending  a  season  in 
peace,  and  having  a  cessation  from  the  troubles  and  persecutions  to 
which  we  had  been  subject  for  a  number  of  years.  The  prospect 
was  truly  flattering;  we  were  the  owners  of  almost  the  entire  coun- 
ty ;  many  of  the  brethren  had  already  opened  very  extensive  farms ; 
nature  was  propitious,  and  the  comforts  of  life  would  have  soon  been 
realized  by  every  industrious  person.  But  notwithstanding  these 
favorable  auspices,  a  storm  arose,  before  whose  withering  blast  our 
fair  and  reasonable  prospects  were  blasted  and  ruined :  anarchy  and 
dismay  were  spread  through  that  county,  as  well  as  the  adjoining 
ones,  in  which  our  brethren  had  found  a  resting-place. 

"  The  inhabitants  of  the  upper  counties,  jealous  of  the  increasing 
number  of  the  Saints,  thinking,  like  some  in  ancient  times,  that  if 
they  were  to  let  us  alone,  we  should  take  away  their  place  and  na- 
tion, soon  began  to  circulate  reports  prejudicial  to  us,  and  after 
threatening  us  with  mobs  for  some  time,  at  last  put  their  threats  into 
execution,  and  proceeded  to  drive  off  our  cattle,  and  burn  down  our 
houses,  while  helpless  females  with  their  tender  offspring,  had  to 


114  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

flee  into  the  wilderness,  and  wander  to  a  considerable  distance  for 
shelter.  This  state  of  things  continued  until,  from  false  representa- 
tions, and  a  wicked  desire  to  overthrow  the  Saints,  the  Governor 
called  out  the  militia,  and  gave  orders  for  our  extermination. 

"  Soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  militia  at  Far  West,  my  brother 
Joseph,  with  several  others,  who  were  considered  leading  characters 
in  the  church,  were  betrayed  into  their  hands,  and  the  day  after 
Colonel  George  Hinckle,  who  had  always  been  a  professed  friend,  but 
who  had  now  turned  traitor,  came  with  a  company  of  the  enemy  to 
my  house,  and  told  them  I  was  the  person  whom  they  sought. 
They  told  me  I  must  go  with  them  to  the  camp.  I  inquired  when 
I  could  return,  my  family  being  in  a  situation  that  I  knew  not  how 
to  leave  them ;  but  could  get  no  answer.  Remonstrance  was  in 
vain,  so  I  was  obliged  to  go  with  them.  I  was  aware  of  the  hostile 
feelings  of  our  enemies,  and  their  hatred  to  all  those  who  professed 
the  faith  of  the  Church  of  Latter-Day  Saints  ;  and  I  can  assure  my 
brethren  that  I  would  as  soon  have  gone  into  a  den  of  lions,  as  into 
that  host,  who  had  orders  from  the  executive  of  State  to  put  us  to 
death,  and  who  had  every  disposition  to  do  so.  However,  I  was 
enabled  to  put  my  trust  in  the  Lord,  knowing  that  he  who  delivered 
Daniel  out  of  the  den  of  lions,  could  deliver  me  from  cruel  and  wick- 
ed men.  When  I  arrived  at  the  camp,  I  was  put  under  the  same 
guard  with  my  brother  Joseph,  and  my  other  friends,  who  had  been 
taken  the  day  previous. 

"  That  evening  a  court-martial  was  held,  to  consult  what  steps 
should  be  taken  with  the  prisoners,  when  it  was  decided  that  we 
were  to  be  shot  the  next  morning,  as  an  ensample  to  the  rest  of  the 
church.  Knowing  that  ]  had  done  nothing  worthy  of '  death  or  of 
bonds,'  and  feeling  an  assurance  that  all  things  would  work  togeth- 
er for  our  good,  I  remained  quite  calm,  and  felt  altogether  unmoved. 
When  I  heard  of  their  unjust  and  cruel  sentence,  '  my  heart  was 
fixed,  trusting  in  the  Lord.' 

"The  next  morning  came  on,  when  (according  to  the  sentence  of 
the  court)  we  were  to  be  shot.  It  was  an  important  time ;  thousands 
were  anticipating  the  event  with  fiendish  joy,  and  seemed  to  long  for 
the  hour  of  execution,  while  our  friends  and  brethren  were  beseech- 
ing a  throne  of  grace  on  our  behalf,  and  praying  for  our  deliverance. 
The  time  at  length  arrived  when  their  sentence  was  to  be  carried 


PERSECUTIONS    IN    MISSOURI.  115 

into  effect ;  but  in  consequence  of  General  Doniphan  protesting 
against  the  unlawfulness  of  the  proceedings,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
threatening  to  withdraw  his  troops,  if  they  should  offer  to  carry  into 
effect  their  murderous  sentence,  the  court  rescinded  their  resolution; 
and  thus  their  purposes  were  frustrated,  and  our  bitterest  enemies 
were  disappointed.  The  prayers  of  our  friends  were  answered,  and 
our  lives  spared.  Notwithstanding  the  discomfiture  of  their  plans, 
yet  our  destruction  was  determined  upon  by  a  vast  majority,  who, 
thinking  they  could  better  carry  into  effect  their  purposes,  ordered 
us  to  be  conveyed  to  Jackson  County,  where  they  were  well  aware  our 
most  cruel  persecutors  resided.  Before  starting,  I  got  permission 
to  visit  my  family,  but  had  only  time  to  get  a  change  of  clothes,  and 
then  was  hurried  away  from  them,  while  they  clung  to  my  gar- 
ments, they  supposing  it  would  be  the  last  time  they  would  see  me 
in  this  world.  While  getting  into  the  wagon  which  was  to  convey 
us  to  our  destination,  four  men  rushed  upon  us,  and  levelled  their 
rifles  at  us,  seemingly  with  a  determination  to  shoot  us.  But  this 
was  not  permitted  them  to  do.  No !  their  arms  were  unnerved,  and 
they  dropped  their  pieces  and  slunk  away.  While  thus  exposed,  I 
felt  no  tremor  or  alarm ;  I  knew  I  was  in  the  hands  of  God,  whose 
power  was  unlimited. 

"  While  on  our  way  to  Jackson  County  we  excited  great  curiosity. 
At  our  stopping-places,  people  would  flock  to  see  us  from  all  quar- 
ters, a  great  number  of  whom  would  rail  upon  us,  and  give  us  abu- 
sive language,  while  a  few  would  pity  us,  knowing  that  we  were  an 
injured  people.  When  we  arrived  at  Independence,  the  county-seat 
of  Jackson  County,  the  citizens  flocked  from  all  parts  of  the  county 
to  see  us.  They  were  generally  very  abusive :  some  of  the  most 
ignorant  gnashed  their  teeth  upon  us  ;  but  all  their  threats  and  abuse 
did  not  move  me,  for  I  felt  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  to  rest  down  upon 
me,  and  I  felt  great  liberty  in  speaking  to  those  who  would  listen  to 
the  truth.  Notwithstanding  the  determination  of  our  enemies,  they 
were  not  suffered  to  carry  out  their  designs  in  that  county ;  for, 
after  enduring  considerable  hardships,  we  were  removed  back  as  far 
as  Richmond,  in  Ray  County,  where,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  I 
was  put  into  prison.  My  feet  were  hurt  with  the  fetters ;  and  I  re- 
mained in  this  situation  for  fourteen  days.  I  endeavored  to  bear  up 
under  my  sufferings  and  wrongs,  but  at  the  same  time  could  not 


116  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

help  but  feel  indignant  at  those  who  treated  us  with  such  crneltj, 
and  who  pretended  to  do  it  under  the  sanction  of  the  laws.  After 
many  attempts  to  destroy  us  by  the  military,  in  all  of  which  they 
were  unsuccessful,  we  were  at  length  delivered  up  to  the  civil  law, 
soon  after  which,  a  court  of  inquiry  was  held.  A  great  deal  of  false 
testimony  was  given  prejudicial  to  my  brethren ;  but  all  the  testi- 
mony they  could  produce  against  me  was,  that  I  was  one  of  the 
presidency  of  the  church,  and  a  firm  friend  to  my  brother  Joseph. 
This  the  court  deemed  sufficient  to  authorize  my  committal  to  pris- 
on. I  was  then,  with  my  brethren,  removed  to  Liberty,  in  Clay 
County,  where  I  was  confined  for  more  than  four  months,  and  suf- 
fered much  for  want  of  proper  food,  and  from  the  nauseous  cell  in 
which  I  was  confined,  but  still  more  so  on  account  of  my  anxiety  for 
my  family,  whom  I  had  left  without  any  protector,  and  who  were 
unable  to  help  themselves.  My  wife  was  confined  while  I  was  away 
from  home,  and  had  to  suffer  more  than  tongue  can  tell.  She  was 
not  able  to  sit  up  for  several  weeks,  and  to  heighten  my  affliction, 
and  the  sufferings  of  my  helpless  family,  my  goods  were  unlawfully 
seized  upon  and  carried  off,  until  my  family  had  to  suffer  in  conse- 
quence thereof.  Nor  were  the  Missourians  my  only  oppressors ;  but 
those  with  whom  I  had  been  acquainted  from  my  youth,  and  who 
had  ever  pretended  the  greatest  friendship  towards  me,  came  to  my 
house  while  I  was  in  prison,  and  ransacked  and  carried  off  many  of 
my  valuables ;  this  they  did  under  the  cloak  of  friendship.  Amongst 
those  who  treated  me  thus,  I  cannot  help  making  particular  mention 
of  Lyman  Cowdery,  who,  in  connection  with  his  brother  Oliver,  took 
from  me  a  great  many  things  ;  and,  to  cap  the  climax  of  his  iniquity, 
compelled  my  aged  father,  by  threatening  to  bring  a  mob  upon  him, 
to  deed  over  to  him,  or  his  brother  Oliver,  about  160  acres  of  land, 
to  pay  a  note,  which  he  said  I  had  given  to  Oliver,  for  165  dollars. 
Such  a  note  I  confess  I  was,  and  still  am  entirely  ignorant  of;  and 
after  mature  consideration,  I  have  to  say,  that  I  believe  it  must  be 
a  forgery. 

"  These  circumstances,  with  the  afflicting  situation  of  my  family, 
served  greatly  to  heighten  my  grief;  indeed,  it  was  almost  more 
than  I  could  bear  up  under.  I  traversed  my  prison-house  for  hours, 
thinking  of  their  cruelty  to  my  family,  and  the  afflictions  they 
brought  upon  the  Saints  of  the  Most  High.     They  forcibly  remind- 


PERSECUTIONS    IN    MISSOURI.  117 

ed  me  of  the  children  of  Edom,  when  the  Jews  were  destroyed  by 
their  enemies  ;  and  the  language  of  the  prophet  Obadiah  to  Edom 
is,  I  think,  so  very  much  in  point,  that  I  cannot  refrain  from  insert- 
ing it  :— 

" '  For  thy  violence  against  thy  brother  Jacob,  shame  shall  cover 
thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  cut  off  forever. 

" '  In  the  day  thou  stoodest  on  the  other  side,  in  the  day  that  the 
strangers  carried  away  captive  his  forces,  and  foreigners  entered 
into  his  gates,  and  cast  lots  upon  Jerusalem,  even  thou  wast  as  one 
of  them. 

" '  But  thou  shouldst  not  have  looked  on  the  day  of  thy  brother, 
in  the  day  that  he  became  a  stranger ;  neither  shouldst  thou  have 
rejoiced  over  the  children  of  Judah  in  the  day  of  their  destruction  ; 
neither  shouldst  thou  have  spoken  proudly  in  the  day  of  distress. 

" '  Thou  shouldst  not  have  entered  into  the  gate  of  my  people  in 
the  day  of  their  calamity ;  yea,  thou  shouldst  not  have  looked  on 
their  affliction  in  the  day  of  their  calamity,  nor  have  laid  hands  on 
their  substance  in  the  day  of  their  calamity.  Neither  shouldst  thou 
have  stood  in  the  crossway,  to  cut  off  those  of  his  that  did  escape ; 
neither  shouldst  thou  have  delivered  up  those  of  his  that  did  remain 
in  the  city  of  distress.' 

"  After  being  in  the  hands  of  our  enemies  for  about  six  months, 
the  time  of  our  deliverance  at  length  arrived.  You  may  judge  what 
my  feelings  were  when  I  escaped  from  those  whose  feet  were  fast 
to  shed  blood,  and  when  I  was  again  privileged  to  see  my  beloved 
family,  who  had  suffered  so  many  privations  and  afflictions,  not  only 
while  in  Far  West,  but  likewise  in  moving  away  in  that  inclement 
season  of  the  year. 

"  Thus,  I  have  endeavored  to  give  you  a  short  account  of  my  suf- 
ferings while  in  the  State  of  Missouri ;  but  how  inadequate  is  lan- 
guage to  express  the  feelings  of  my  mind  while  under  them,  know- 
ing that  I  was  innocent  of  crime,  and  that  I  had  been  dragged  from 
my  family  at  a  time  when  my  assistance  was  most  needed  ;  that  I 
had  been  abused  and  thrust  into  a  dungeon,  and  confined  for  months 
on  account  of  my  faith,  and  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ.'  How- 
ever, I  thank  God  that  I  felt  a  determination  to  die  rather  than  deny 
the  things  which  my  eyes  had  seen,  which  my  hands  had  handled, 
and  which  I  had  borne  testimony  to,  wherever  my  lot  had  been  cast ; 


118  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

and  I  can  assure  my  beloved  brethren,  that  I  was  enabled  to  bear  as 
strong  a  testimony  when  nothing  but  death  presented  itself  as  ever  I 
did  in  my  life.  My  confidence  in  God  was  likewise  unshaken.  I 
knew  that  He  who  suffered  me,  along  with  my  brethren,  to  be  thus 
tried,  could,  and  would,  deliver  us  out  of  the  hands  of  our  enemies ; 
and  in  His  own  due  time  He  did  so,  for  which  I  desire  to  bless  and 
praise  His  holy  name. 

"  From  my  close  and  long  confinement,  as  well  as  from  the  suffer- 
ings of  my  mind,  I  feel  my  body  greatly  broken  down  and  debili- 
tated, my  frame  has  received  a  shock  from  which  it  will  take  a  long 
time  to  recover.  Yet,  I  am  happy  to  say  that  my  zeal  for  the  cause 
of  God,  and  my  courage  in  defence  of  the  truth,  are  as  great  as 
ever.  '  My  heart  is  fixed  ;'  and  I  yet  feel  a  determination  to  do  the 
will  of  God,  in  spite  of  persecutions,  imprisonments,  or  death.  I  can 
say  with  Paul, '  None  of  these  things  move  me,  so  that  I  may  finish 
my  course  with  joy.' 

"  Your  brother  in  the  Kingdom  and  patience  of  Jesus  Christ, 

"  Hyrum  Smith." 

"Dec.  1839." 

A  document  of  still  more  interest  was  issued  by  the  two 
brothers  while  in  prison,  and  signed  by  them  and  three  other 
members  of  the  church.  The  unflinching  courage  of  Joseph 
while  surrounded  with  difficulties  and  perils  of  no  ordinary 
kind,  and  his  firm  reliance  upon  the  ultimate  triumph  of  his 
doctrine,  compel  admiration,  and  would  almost  justify  the 
supposition,  that  he  had  taught  his  imposture  so  long,  and 
lived  so  thoroughly  in  it,  by  it,  and  with  it,  as  to  have  ended 
by  believing  it.     The  document  ran  as  follows  : — 

"Liberty  Jail,  Clay  Co.,  Missouri. 

"  To  Bishop  Partridge,  and  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Lat- 
ter-Day  Saints,  in  Quincy,  Illinois,  and  to  those  scattered  abroad, 
throughout  all  regions  round  about. 

"  Your  humble  servant  Joseph  Smith,  jr.,  prisoner  for  Christ's  sake, 
and  the  Saints,  taken  and  held  by  the  power  of  mobocracy  under  the 
exterminating  reign  of  his  excellency  Governor  Lilburn  W.  Boggs, 


PERSECUTIONS    IN    MISSOURI.  119 

in  company  with  his  fellow-prisoners  and  beloved  brethren,  Caleb 
Baldwin,  Lyman  Wight,  Hyrum  Smith,  and  Alexander  McRea, 
send  unto  you  greeting :  May  the  grace  of  God  the  Father,  and  the 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  rest  upon  you  all,  and  abide  with 
you  forever  ;  and  may  faith,  virtue,  knowledge,  temperance,  patience, 
godliness,  brotherly-kindness,  and  charity,  dwell  in  you  and  abound, 
so  that  you  may  not  be  barren  and  unfruitful. 

"  We  know,  that  the  greater  part  of  you  are  acquainted  with  the 
wrongs,  high-toned  injustice,  and  cruelty  which  are  practised  upon 
us ;  we  have  been  taken  prisoners,  charged  falsely  with  all  kind  of 
crimes,  and  thrown  into  a  prison  enclosed  with  strong  walls,  and 
are  surrounded  with  a  strong  guard  who  are  as  indefatigable  in 
watching  us,  as  their  master  is  in  laying  snares  for  the  people  of 
God.  Therefore,  under  these  circumstances,  dearly  beloved  breth- 
ren, we  are  the  more  ready  to  claim  your  fellowship  and  love.  Our 
situation  is  calculated  to  awaken  our  minds  to  a  sacred  remem- 
brance of  your  affection  and  kindness  ;  and  we  think  that  your 
situation  will  have  the  same  effect ;  therefore,  we  believe,  that  noth- 
ing can  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God,  and  our  fellowship  one 
with  another ;  and  that  every  species  of  wickedness  and  cruelty 
practised  upon  us,  will  only  tend  to  bind  our  hearts  and  seal  them 
together  in  love. 

"  It  is  probably  as  unnecessary  for  us  to  say,  that  we  are  thus 
treated  and  held  in  bonds  without  cause,  as  it  would  be  for  you  to 
say,  that  you  were  smitten  and  driven  from  your  homes  without  any 
provocation ;  we  mutually  understand  and  verily  know,  that  if  the 
citizens  of  the  State  of  Missouri  had  not  abused  the  Saints,  and  had 
been  as  desirous  of  peace  as  we  were,  there  would  have  been  noth- 
ing but  peace  and  quietude  to  this  day,  and  we  should  not  have  been 
in  this  wretched  place,  and  burthened  with  the  society  of  demons  in 
human  form,  and  compelled  to  hear  nothing  but  oaths  and  curses, 
and  witness  scenes  of  drunkenness  and  debaucheries  of  every  de- 
scription ;  neither  would  the  cries  of  orphans  and  widows  have  as- 
cended to  God,  or  the  blood  of  the  Saints  have  stained  the  soil,  and 
cried  for  vengeance  against  them.  But s  we  dwell  with  those  who 
hate  peace  ;'  and  who  delight  in  war ;  and  surely  their  unrelenting 
hearts — their  inhuman  and  murderous  disposition — and  their  cruel 
practices,  shock  humanity,  and  defy  description  !     It  is  truly  a  tale 


120  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

of  sorroiv,  lamentation,  and  ivoe,  too  much  for  humanity  to  contem- 
plate. Such  a  transaction  cannot  be  found  where  kings  and  tyrants 
reign,  or  among  the  savages  of  the  wilderness,  or  even  among  the 
ferocious  beasts  of  the  forest.  To  think  that  men  should  be  man- 
gled for  sport,  after  being  cruelly  put  to  death,  and  that  women 
should  have  their  last  morsel  stolen  from  them,  while  their  helpless 
children  were  clinging  around  them  and  crying  for  food — and  then, 
to  gratify  the  hellish  desires  of  their  more  than  inhuman  oppres- 
sors, be  violated,  is  horrid  in  the  extreme. 

"  They  practise  these  things  upon  the  Saints,  who  have  done 
them  no  wrong,  have  committed  no  crime,  and  who  are  an  innocent 
and  virtuous  people ;  and  who  have  proved  themselves  lovers  of 
God  by  forsaking  and  enduring  all  things  for  His  sake.  '  It  must 
needs  be  that  offences  come,  but  woe  to  those  by  whom  they  come.' 

"O  God  !  where  art  thou?  and  where  is  the  pavilion  that  covereth 
thy  hiding-place  ?  how  long  shall  thy  hand  be  stayed,  and  thy  pure 
eyes  behold  from  the  heavens  the  wrongs  and  sufferings  of  thy  peo- 
ple, and  of  thy  servants  ;  and  thine  ears  be  penetrated  with  their 
cries  ?  How  long,  O  Lord  !  shall  they  thus  suffer,  before  thine  heart 
shall  be  softened  towards  them,  and  thy  bowels  be  moved  with  com- 
passion towards  them  ?  O  Lord  God  Almighty,  maker  of  heaven, 
earth,  and  seas,  and  of  all  things  that  in  them  is,  and  who  controlleth 
and  subjecteth  the  devil  and  the  dark  and  benighted  dominions  of 
Satan,  stretch  forth  thy  hand,  let  thine  eye  pierce,  let  thy  pavilion  be 
taken  up.  let  thy  hiding-place  no  longer  be  uncovered,  let  thine  ear 
be  inclined,  let  thine  heart  be  softened,  and  thy  bowels  moved  with 
compassion  towards  thy  people  ;  and  let  thine  anger  be  kindled  against 
our  enemies,  and  in  thy  fury  let  fall  the  sword  of  thine  indignation, 
and  avenge  us  of  our  wrongs.  Remember  thy  suffering  Saints,  O 
our  God  !  and  thy  servants  will  rejoice  in  thy  name  forever. 

"Dearly  beloved  brethren,  we  realize  that  perilous  times  have 
com",  as  have  been  testified  of  in  ancient  days,  and  we  may  look 
with  certainty  and  the  most  perfect  assurance  for  the  rolling  in  of  all 
tho^e  things  which  have  been  spoken  of  by  all  the  holy  prophets: 
lift  up  your  ryes  to  the  bright  luminary  of  day,  and  yc.u  can  say, 
Soon  thou  shall  veil  thy  blushing  face,  for  at  the  behest  of  Him  who 
said,  '  Lot  there  be  light,  and  there  was  light,'  thou  shalt  withdraw 
thy  shining.     Thou  moon,  thou  dimmer  light,  and  luminary  of  night, 


PERSECUTIONS    IN    MISSOURI.  121 

shalt  turn  to  blood.  We  see  that  the  prophecies  concerning  the  last 
days  are  fulfilling,  and  the  time  shall  soon  come  when  the  '  Son  of 
man  shall  descend  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  in  power  and  great 
glory.' 

"  We  do  not  shrink,  nor  are  our  hearts  and  spirits  broken  at  the 
grievous  yoke  which  is  put  upon  us.  We  know  that  God  will  have 
our  oppressors  in  derision,  that  he  will  laugh  at  their  calamity,  and 
mock  when  their  fear  cometh.  We  think  we  should  have  got  out  of 
our  prison  house,  at  the  time  Elder  Rigdon  got  a  writ  of  habeas 
corpus,  had  not  our  own  lawyers  interpreted  the  law  contrary  to  what 
it  reads,  and  against  us,  which  prevented  us  from  introducing  our 
witnesses  before  the  mock  court ;  they  have  done  us  much  harm 
from  the  beginning ;  they  have  lately  acknowledged  that  the  law 
was  misconstrued,  and  then  tantalized  our  feelings  with  it,  and  have 
now  entirely  forsaken  us,  have  forfeited  both  their  oaths  and  their 
bonds,  and  are  co-workers  with  the  mob.  From  the  information  we 
received,  the  public  mind  has  been  for  some  time  turning  in  our  fa- 
vor, and  the  majority  is  now  friendly,  and  the  lawyers  can  no  longer 
browbeat  us  by  saying,  that  this  or  that  is  a  matter  of  public  opinion, 
for  public  opinion  is  not  willing  to  brook  all  their  proceedings,  but  is 
beginning  to  look  with  feelings  of  indignation  upon  our  oppressors. 
We  think  that  truth,  honor,  virtue,  and  innocence,  will  eventually 
come  out  triumphant. 

"  We  should  have  taken  out  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  and  escaped 
the  mob  in  a  summary  way,  but  unfortunately  for  us,  the  timber  of 
the  wall  being  very  hard,  our  auger  handles  gave  out,  which  hin- 
dered us  longer  than  we  expected.  We  applied  to  a  friend  for  as- 
sistance, and  a  very  slight  uncautious  act  gave  rise  to  suspicion,  and 
before  we  could  fully  succeed,  our  plan  was  discovered.  We  should 
have  made  our  escape,  and  succeeded  admirably  well,  had  it  not 
been  for  a  little  imprudence,  or  over  anxiety  on  the  part  of  our  friend. 

"The  sheriff  and  the  jailor  did  not  blame  us  for  our  attempt;  it 
was  a  fine  breach,  and  cost  the  county  a  round  sum  ;  public  opinion 
says  we  ought  to  have  been  permitted  to  have  made  our  escape,  but 
then  the  disgrace  would  have  been  on  us,  but  now  it  must  come  on 
the  State.  We  know  that  there  cannot  be  any  charge  sustained 
against  us,  and  that  the  conduct  of  the  mob — the  murders  at  Haun's 
Mill,  the  exterminating  order  of  Governor  Boggs,  and  the  one-sided, 


122  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

rascally  proceedings  of  the  Legislature,  have  damned  the  State  of 
Missouri  to  all  eternity.  General  Atchison  has  proved  himself  to  be 
as  contemptible  as  any  of  our  enemies.  We  have  tried  a  long  time 
to  get  our  lawyers  to  draw  us  some  petitions  to  the  supreme  judges 
of  this  State,  but  they  have  utterly  refused  ;  we  have  examined  the 
laws,  and  drawn  the  petitions  ourselves,  and  have  obtained  abundance 
of  proof  to  counteract  all  the  testimony  that  is  against  us,  so  that 
if  the  judges  do  not  grant  us  our  liberty  they  have  got  to  act  con- 
trary to  honor,  evidence,  law,  or  justice,  merely  to  please  the  mob ; 
but  we  hope  better  things,  and  trust  that  before  many  days,  God  will 
so  order  our  case,  that  we  shall  be  set  at  liberty,  and  again  enjoy  the 
society  of  the  Saints.  We  received  some  letters  from  our  friends, 
last  evening,  one  from  Emma,  one  from  D.  C.  Smith,  and  one  from 
Bishop  Partridge,  all  breathing  a  kind  and  consoling  spirit ;  we  had 
been  a  long  time  without  information  from  our  friends,  and  when  we 
read  those  letters  they  were  refreshing  to  our  souls,  as  the  gentle 
air  and  refreshing  breeze  ;  but  our  feelings  of  joy  were  mingled  with 
feelings  of  pain  and  sorrow  on  account  of  the  sufferings  of  the  poor 
and  much  injured  Saints,  and  we  need  not  say  unto  you  that  the 
flood-gates  of  our  hearts  were  open,  and  our  eyes  were  a  fountain  of 
tears.  Those  who  have  not  been  inclosed  in  the  walls  of  a  prison, 
without  cause  or  provocation,  can  have  but  little  idea  how  sweet  the 
voice  of  a  friend  or  one  token  of  friendship  is,  from  any  source 
whatever,  and  awakens  and  calls  into  action  every  sympathetic  feel- 
ing of  the  human  heart ;  it  brings  to  review  everything  that  has 
passed,  it  seizes  the  present  with  the  velocity  of  lightning,  and  grasps 
after  the  future  with  fond  anticipation ;  it  fills  the  mind  with  tender- 
ness and  love,  until  all  enmity,  malice,  hatred,  past  differences,  mis- 
understandings, and  mismanagements,  are  entirely  forgotten,  or  are 
slain  victims  at  the  feet  of  love.  When  the  heart  is  sufficiently  con- 
trite, then  the  voice  of  inspiration  steals  along  and  whispers,  My 
son,  peace  be  unto  thy  soul ; — thine  adversity  and  thy  afflictions  shall 
be  but  for  a  moment ;  and  then,  if  thou  art  faithful  and  endure,  God 
shall  exalt  thee  on  high,  thou  shalt  triumph  over  all  thy  foes,  thy 
friends  shall  stand  by  thee,  and  shall  hail  thee  again  with  warm 
hearts :  thou  art  not  yet  as  Job,  thy  friends  do  not  contend  against 
thee,  neither  do  they  charge  thee  with  transgression  ;  and  those  who 
do  charge  thee  with  transgression,  their  hope  shall  be  blasted,  and 


PERSECUTIONS    IN    MISSOURI.  123 

their  prospects  melt  away,  as  the  hoar  frost,  melteth  before  the  rays 
of  the  rising  sun.  It  likewise  informs  us  that  God  has  set  his  hand 
to  change  the  times  and  the  seasons,  and  to  blind  the  minds  of  the 
wicked,  that  they  may  not  understand  his  marvellous  workings,  that 
he  may  take  them  in  their  own  craftiness,  because  their  hearts  are 
corrupt,  and  the  distress  and  sorrow  which  they  seek  to  bring  upon 
the  saints,  shall  return  upon  them  double ;  and,  not  many  years 
hence,  they  and  their  posterity  shall  be  destroyed  from  under  heaven. 
Cursed  are  all  those  that  shall  lift  up  the  heel  against  mine  anointed, 
saith  the  Lord,  for  they  have  not  sinned  before  me,  saith  the  Lord, 
but  have  done  that  which  was  meet  in  mine  eyes,  and  which  I  com- 
manded them,  saith  the  Lord.  Those  who  cry  transgression  do  it 
because  they  are  the  servants  of  sin,  and  are  the  children  of  disobe- 
dience themselves,  and  swear  falsely  against  my  servants,  that  they 
may  bring  them  into  bondage  and  death.  Woe  unto  them,  because 
they  have  offended  my  little  ones  ;  they  shall  be  severed  from  the 
ordinances  of  mine  house,  their  basket  shall  not  be  full,  their  houses 
and  their  lands  shall  be  empty,  and  they  themselves  shall  be  despised 
by  those  who  have  flattered  them.  They  shall  not  have  right  to  the 
priesthood,  nor  their  posterity  after  them,  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion;  and  it  would  have  been  better  for  them  that  a  mill -stone  had 
been  hung  about  their  necks,  and  they  drowned  in  the  depths  of  the 
sea.  Woe  unto  all  those  who  drive,  and  murder,  and  testify  against 
my  people,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  for  they  shall  not  escape  the 
damnation  of  hell :  behold  mine  eye  seeth,  and  I  know  all  their  works, 
and  I  have  in  reserve  a  swift  judgment  in  the  season  thereof,  and 
they  shall  be  rewarded  according  to  their  works. 

"  God  has  said  he  would  have  a  tried  people,  and  that  he  would 
purify  them  as  gold  is  purified ;  now,  we  think  he  has  chosen  his 
own  crucible  to  try  us,  and  if  we  should  be  so  happy  as  to  endure 
and  keep  the  faith,  it  will  be  a  sign  to  this,  generation,  sufficient  to 
leave  them  without  excuse  ;  and  that  it  will  be  a  trial  of  our  faith 
equal  to  that  of  Abraham  or  any  of  the  ancients,  and  that  they  will 
not  have  such  cause  to  boast  over  us,  in  the  persecutions  and  trials 
they  endured.  After  passing  through  so  much  suffering  and  sor- 
row, we  trust  that  before  long  a  ram  may  be  caught  in  the  thicket, 
so  that  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Abraham  may  be  relieved  from 
their  fears  and  anxiety,  and  that  their  faces  may  once  more  be  lighted 


124  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

up  with  joy  and  salvation,  and  be  enabled  to  hold  out  unto  everlast- 
ing life. 

'•  Now,  concerning  the  places  for  the  location  of  the  Saints,  we 
would  say  that  we  cannot  counsel  you  in  this  thing  as  well  as  if  we 
were  with  you ;  and  as  to  the  things  written  to  you  before,  we  did 
not  consider  them  binding  ;  we  would  advise,  that  while  we  remain 
in  prison  and  in  bondage,  that  the  affairs  of  the  church  be  conducted 
by  a  general  conference  of  the  most  faithful  and  respectable  of  the 
authorities  of  the  church,  and  that  the  proceedings  of  the  same  be 
forwarded  to  your  humble  servants ;  and  if  there  be  any  corrections 
by  the  word  of  the  Lord,  they  shall  be  freely  transmitted,  and  we 
will  cheerfully  approve  all  things  which  are  acceptable  to  God.  If 
anything  should  have  been  suggested  by  us,  or  any  names  mentioned 
except  by  commandment,  or  '  thus  saith  the  Lord,'  we  do  not  con- 
sider it  binding ;  therefore  we  shall  not  feel  grieved  if  you  should 
deem  it  wisdom  to  make  different  arrangements.  We  would  re- 
spectfully advise  the  brethren  to  be  aware  of  an  aspiring  spirit, 
which  has  frequently  urged  men  forward  to  make  foul  speeches,  and 
beget  an  undue  influence  in  the  minds  of  the  Saints,  and  bring  much 
sorrow  and  distress  in  the  church.  We  would  likewise  say,  be 
aware  of  pride  ;  for  truly  hath  the  wise  man  said, '  Pride  goeth  be- 
fore destruction,  and  an  haughty  spirit  before  a  fall.'  Outward  ap- 
pearance is  not  always  a  criterion  for  us  to  judge  our  fellow-man  by ; 
but  the  lips  frequently  betray  the  haughty  and  overbearing  mind. 
Flattery  also  is  a  deadly  poison  ;  a  frank  and  open  rebuke  provoketh 
a  good  man  to  emulation,  and  in  the  hour  of  trouble  he  will  be  your 
best  friend  ;  but  rebuke  a  wicked  man,  and  you  will  soon  see  man- 
ifest all  the  corruption  of  a  wicked  heart — the  poison  of  asps  is  un- 
der their  tongue,  and  they  cast  the  Saints  in  prison,  that  their  deeds 
be  not  reproved.  A  fanciful,  flowery,  and  heated  imagination  be 
aware  of;  for  the  things  of  God  are  of  vast  importance,  and  require 
time  and  experience,  as  well  as  deep  and  solemn  thought,  to  find 
them  out  ;  and  if  we  would  bring  souls  to  salvation,  it  requires  that 
our  minds  should  rise  to  the  highest  heavens,  search  into  and  con- 
template the  lowest  abyss,  expand  wide  as  eternity,  and  hold  com- 
munion with  Deity.  How  much  more  dignified  and  noble  are  the 
thoughts  of  God  than  the  vain  imaginations  of  the  human  heart! 
How  vain  and  trifling  have  been  our  spirits  in  our  conferences  and 


PERSECUTIONS    IN    MISSOURI.  125 

council-meetings,  as  well  as  in  our  public  and  private  conversations  ! 
Too  low  and  condescending  for  the  dignified  characters  of  the  called 
and  chosen  of  God,  who  have  been  set  apart  in  the  mind  of  God  be- 
fore the  foundation  of  the  world,  to  hold  the  keys  of  the  mysteries 
of  those  things  which  have  been  kept  hid  for  ages  and  generations, 
which  have  been  revealed  to  babes,  yea,  to  the  weak,  obscure,  and 
despisable  ones  of  the  earth.  We  would  beseech  you  to  bear  with 
the  infirmities  of  the  weak,  and  at  the  same  time  exhort  one  another 
to  a  reformation,  both  teachers  and  taught,  male  and  female  ;  so  that 
honesty,  sobriety,  candor,  solemnity,  plainness,  meekness,  and  virtue, 
may  characterize  us  from  henceforth ;  and  that  we  be  like  little  chil- 
dren, without  malice,  guile,  or  hypocrisy.  And  now.  brethren,  after 
your  tribulation,  if  you  do  these  things,  and  exercise  fervent  prayer 
in  the  sight  of  God  always,  he  shall  give  unto  you  knowledge,  by 
his  Holy  Spirit ;  yea,  he  shall  pour  out  the  Holy  Ghost  in  such  co- 
pious effusion  as  has  not  been  since  the  creation  until  now ;  yea,  the 
fulness  of  that  promise  which  our  fathers  have  waited  for  with  such 
anxious  expectation,  which  was  to  be  revealed  in  the  last  days,  and 
held  in  reserve  until  a  time  when  nothing  shall  be  withheld  ;  when 
all  the  glories  of  earth  and  heaven,  time  and  eternity,  shall  be  mani- 
fest to  all  those  who  have  endured  valiantly  for  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ.  If  there  be  bounds  set  to  the  heavens,  the  seas,  the  dry  land, 
they  shall  be  manifest,  as  well  as  the  various  revolutions  of  the  sun, 
moon,  and  planets  ;  and  a  full  development  of  all  the  glorious  laws 
by  which  they  are  governed  shall  be  revealed  in  the  '  dispensation 
of  the  fulness  of  times,'  according  to  that  which  was  ordained  in  the 
midst  of  the  council  of  heaven  in  the  presence  of  the  eternal  God, 
before  this  world  was. 

"  Ignorance,  bigotry,  and  superstition  are  frequently  in  the  way 
of  the  prosperity  of  this  church,  and  are  like  the  torrent  of  rain  rush- 
ing down  from  the  mountains,  which  floods  the  clear  stream  with 
mire  and  dirt ;  but  when  the  storm  is  over,  and  the  rain  has  ceased, 
the  mire  and  dirt  are  washed  away,  and  the  stream  again  is  pure 
and  clear  as  the  fountain,  so  shall  the  church  appear  when  ignorance, 
superstition  and  bigotry  are  washed  away.  What  power  can  stay  the 
heavens  ?  As  well  might  man  stretch  forth  his  puny  arm  to  stop 
the  mighty  Missouri  river  in  its  course,  as  to  hinder  the  Almighty 
from  pouring  down  knowledge  from  heaven  upon  the  hearts  of  the 


126  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

Latter-Day  Saints  !  What  are  the  governor  and  his  murderous  party, 
but  willows  on  the  shore  to  stop  the  waters  in  their  progress  ?  As 
well  might  we  argue  that  water  is  not  water,  because  the  mountain 
torrent  sends  down  mire,  and  riles  the  crystal  stream  ;  or  that  fire 
is  not  fire,  because  it  is  quenchable  ;  as  to  say  that  our  cause  is  down, 
because  renegadoes,  liars,  priests,  and  murderers,  who  are  alike  tena- 
cious of  their  crafts  and  creeds,  have  poured  down  upon  us  a  flood 
of  dirt  and  mire  from  their  strongholds.  No,  they  may  rage,  with  all 
the  powers  of  hell,  and  pour  forth  their  wrath,  indignation,  and  cru- 
elty, like  the  burning  lava  of  Mount  Vesuvius,  yet  shall  Mormonism 
stand.  Truth  is  Mormonism,  and  God  is  its  author ;  by  him  we  re- 
ceived our  birth,  by  him  we  were  called  to  a  dispensation  of  his  gos- 
pel, in  the  beginning  of  the  fulness  of  times;  it  was  by  him  we  re- 
ceived the  Book  of  Mormon,  by  him  we  remain  unto  this  day,  and 
shall  continue  to  remain,  if  it  be  to  his  glory  ;  we  are  determined  to 
endure  tribulation,  as  good  soldiers,  unto  the  end :  when  you  read 
this,  you  will  learn  that  prison  walls,  iron  doors,  screeching  hinges, 
guards  and  jailors,  have  not  destroyed  our  confidence,  but  we  say, 
and  that  from  experience,  that  they  are  calculated  in  their  very  nature 
to  make  the  soul  of  an  honest  man  feel  stronger  than  the  powers  of 
hell.  But  we  must  bring  our  epistle  to  a  close,  and  send  our  respects 
'to  fathers,  mothers,  wives,  and  children,  brothers,  and  sisters,  and  be 
assured  we  hold  them  in  sacred  remembrance. 

"  We  should  be  glad  to  hear  from  Elder  Rigdon,  George  W.  Rob- 
inson and  Elder  Cahoon.  We  remember  them,  and  would  like  to  jog 
their  memory  a  little  on  the  fable  of  the  bear  and  the  two  friends, 
who  mutually  agreed  to  stand  by  each  other.  We  could  also  men- 
tion Uncle  John  Smith  and  others.  A  word  of  consolation  and  a 
blessing  would  not  come  amiss  from  anybody,  while  we  are  so  closely 
whispered  by  the  bear.  Our  respects  and  love  to  all  the  virtuous 
saints.  We  are,  dear  brethren,  your  fellow-sufferers,  and  prisoners 
of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  Gospel's  sake,  and  for  the  hope  of  glory 
which  is  in  us.     Amen. 

"  Joseph  Smith,  Jr. 

Hyrum  Smith. 

Lyman  Wight. 

Caleb  Baldwin 

Alexander  McRae." 


EXPULSION    FROM   MISSOURI.  127 

While  Joseph  and  Hyrum  remained  in  prison,  and  thus  en- 
deavored to  rouse  the  zeal  of  such  men  as  Sidney  Rigdon,  men 
who  knew  too  much  to  be  thoroughly  trusted,  and  who  re- 
quired the  goad  to  keep  them  faithful ;  the  Mormons,  unable 
to  cope  with  their  enemies,  were  hunted  out  of  Missouri,  no 
opportunity  being  allowed  them  to  sell  their  farms,  or  enter 
into  arrangements  for  the  disposal  of  their  property.  In  the 
midst  of  an  inclement  winter,  in  December,  1838,  and  Janu- 
ary, 1839,  men,  women,  and  children — the  sick  and  the  aged 
as  well  as  the  young  and  strong — were  turned  out  into  the 
prairies  or  forests,  without  food  or  sufficient  protection  from 
the  weather.  In  this  miserable  plight  they  arrived  in  Illinois 
in  small  detachments,  and  were  most  kindly  received  by  the 
settlers,  as  well  as  by  the  Indians.  Subscriptions  were  en- 
tered into  for  their  relief,  and  many  of  them  procured  situa- 
tions in  farms,  mills,  and  stores.  After  a  time  they  began  to 
hold  up  their  heads  again.  Their  numbers  became  formida- 
ble in  their  new  settlements.  Persecution  did  its  ordinary 
work  in  making  proselytes,  and  the  congregations  of  the  Saints 
were  increased  daily  by  new  converts  from  among  the  people 
of  Illinois.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1839,  the  Prophet,  more 
successful  than  in  his  first  attempt,  when  his  auger  broke, 
escaped  from  prison,  and  made  his  appearance  among  his 
followers  at  a  place  called  duincy.  His  rude  but  touching 
eloquence,  his  confident  appeals  to  Heaven,  his  magnificent 
promises,  his  tact  and  skill,  and  the  joy  of  the  true  believers 
that  he  was  once  more  among  them,  all  combined  to  restore 
confidence.  The  great  bulk  of  the  Mormons  speedily  gathered 
about  a  village  called  "  Commerce,"  just  above  the  Desmoines 
Rapids,  on  the  Mississippi  river.  Here  they  soon  made  ar- 
rangements for  settling  down.  The  Saints  joined  them  from 
various  parts  of  the  United  States,  many  of  them  bringing  con- 
siderable sums  of  money.  Their  surprising  fortunes  in  their 
new  home  will  be  more  fully  detailed  in  the  next  chapter. 


CEAPTEE  V. 

Establishment  of  the  Sect  in  Illinois — Building  of  the  City 
and  Temple  of  Nauvoo — Joseph  a  Lieutenant-General — 
The  Prophet's  Right-hand  Man — The  Mormons  in  England 
— Prosperity  of  Nauvoo. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  months  after  their  expulsion  from 
Missouri,  the  number  of  Mormons  that  found  refuge  in  Illinois 
amounted  to  fifteen  thousand  souls,  including  men,  women, 
and  children.  Many  of  these  had  never  resided  in  Missouri, 
but  nocked  to  the  new  location  of  the  sect  from  all  parts  of 
the  Union,  and  even  from  England,  to  make  a  last  stand 
against  oppression,  and  to  support  their  prophet  against  his 
enemies.  The  organization  of  the  sect  began  to  be  more  fully 
and  admirably  developed  ;  and  the  Mormons  were  even  at 
this  early  period  of  their  career,  a  pre-eminently  industrious, 
frugal,  and  pains-taking  people.  They  felt  the  advantages  of 
co-operation.  Though  robbed  and  plundered,  they  did  not 
lose  their  time  in  vain  repinings,  but  set  themselves  to  repair 
the  calamities  they  had  suffered.  The  needy  were  aided  by 
the  more  affluent  in  the  purchase  of  land,  and  in  the  plenish- 
ing of  their  farms  ;  and  the  inducements  which  they  held  out 
to  skilled  mechanics  and  others  to  join  them,  were  not  merely 
of  a  religious  and  spiritual,  but  of  a  social  and  worldly  char- 
acter. The  Mormons  as  a  body  understood  the  dignity  and 
the  holiness  of  hard  work,  and  they  practised  to  the  fullest 
extent  the  duty  of  self-reliance.  They  soon  found  themselves 
so  numerous  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village  of  "  Commerce," 
that  their  leaders  conceived  the  project  of  converting  it  first 


THE   TEMPLE  AT  NAUVOO. 


ESTABLISHMENT    IN    ILLINOIS.  131 

into  a  town,  and  afterwards  into  a  city.  They  gave  it  the 
name  of  "  Nauvoo,"  or  the  "  Beautiful,"  a  word  that  occurs  in 
the  Book  of  Mormon.  In  the  course  of  a  year  and  a  half  they 
erected  about  2,000  houses,  besides  schools  and  other  public 
buildings,  and  called  the  place  the  "  Holy  City."  Joseph 
Smith  was  appointed  its  Mayor,  and  for  a  brief  period  in  his 
troubled  career  enjoyed  the  supremacy,  which  was  the  great 
object  of  his  existence,  and  the  darling  dream  of  his  ambition. 
His  word  was  law.  He  was  both  the  temporal  and  spiritual 
head  of  his  people,  and  enjoyed,  besides  the  titles  of  "  Prophet," 
"President,"  and  "Mayor,"  the  military  title  of  "  General" 
Smith,  in  right  of  his  command  over  a  body  of  militia,  which 
he  organized  under  the  name  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion. 

It  was  shortly  previous  to  this  time  that  the  sect  first  began 
to  be  heard  of  in  England.  In  a  short  sketch  of  the  rise, 
progress,  and  faith  of  the  Mormons,  inserted  in  the  fifth 
volume  of  the  Times  and  Seasons,  it  is  stated  that  in  1837 
the  first  mission  to  England  was  undertaken,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Elders  0.  Hyde,  the  same  whose  signature  appears  to 
the  disparaging  affidavit  relative  to  the  Danite  Band  already 
quoted,  and  H.  C.  Kimball.  These  two  baptized  two  thou- 
sand people  into  the  Mormon  faith,  chiefly  in  Manchester, 
Birmingham,  Leeds,  Liverpool,  Glasgow,  and  South  Wales. 
In  1843,  the  number  of  the  sect  in  England  had  increased 
to  upwards  of  10,000.  In  1844,  Elder  Lorenzo  Snow,  being 
then  in  England,  forwarded,  by  desire  of  the  "  Prophet,"  a 
copy  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  to  Q,ueen  Victoria,  and  another 
to  his  Royal  Highness  Prince  Albert,  a  circumstance  at  which 
the  Saints  in  Nauvoo  seemed  greatly  to  rejoice.  A  Mormon 
poet  exclaimed,  in  reference  to  it — 

"  Oh  !  would  she  now  her  influence  lend — 
The  influence  of  royalty — 
Messiah's  kingdom  to  extend, 
And  Zion's  nursing  mother  be, 


132  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

"  Then  with  the  glory  of  her  name 
Inscribed  on  Zion's  lofty  spire, 
She'd  win  a  wreath  of  endless  fame, 
To  last  when  other  wreaths  expire." 

Joseph  became  rather  chary  of  giving  forth  "  revelations" 
after  he  finally  left  Kirtland,  but  it  was  necessary  to  have  a 
revelation  with  reference  to  the  Holy  City.  It  was  published 
accordingly  in  the  month  of  January,  1841,  and  directed  the 
building  of  a  magnificent  temple,  to  which  all  the  Saints 
were  to  contribute  a  tithe  of  their  possessions,  or  of  their  time 
and  labor.  "  Let  all  my  Saints  come  from  afar,"  said  this 
revelation,  the  last  that  the  prophet  appears  to  have  issued, 
,:  and  send  ye  swift  messengers,  yea,  chosen  messengers,  and 
say  unto  them,  ■  Come  ye  with  all  your  gold,  and  your  silver, 
and  your  precious  stones,  and  with  all  your  antiquities,  and 
with  all  who  have  knowledge  of  antiquities,  that  will  come, 
may  come  ;  and  bring  the  box-tree,  and  the  fir-tree,  and  the 
pine-tree,  together  with  all  the  precious  trees  of  the  earth, 
and  with  iron,  and  with  copper,  and  with  brass,  and  with 
zinc,  and  with  all  your  precious  things  of  the  earth,  and 
build  a  house  to  my  name  for  the  Most  High  to  dwell  there- 
in.' "  The  Saints  were  also  commanded  to  build  "  a  board- 
ing-house" for  the  boarding  of  strangers.  "  Let  it  be  built 
in  my  name,  and  let  my  name  be  named  upon  it,  and  let  my 
servant  Joseph  Smith  and  his  house  have  place  therein  from 
generation  to  generation,  forever  and  ever,  saith  the  Lord  ; 
and  let  the  name  of  the  house  be  called  the  Nauvoo  House, 
and  let  it  be  a  delightful  habitation  for  man,  and  a  resting- 
place  for  the  weary  traveller,  that  he  may  contemplate  the 
glory  of  Zion,  and  the  glory  of  this,  the  corner-stone  there- 
of." This  "  revelation"  was  the  most  elaborate  of  all 
the  compositions  issued  under  this  name.  It  was  divided 
into   forty-six   heads  or  paragraphs,  and    entered    minutely 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  NAUVOO.  133 

into  directions  for  raising  the  funds  for  these  undertakings, 
and  also  for  governing  the  church  in  all  its  various  depart- 
ments. 

The  building  of  the  temple  was  immediately  commenced. 
The  site  chosen  was  exceedingly  fine,  being  on  a  hill  com- 
manding a  magnificent  view  on  every  side.  It  was  built  of 
a  polished  white  lime-stone,  almost  as  hard  as  marble,  and  is 
described  as  having  been  138  feet  in  length  by  88  in  breadth. 
It  was  surmounted  by  a  pyramidal  tower,  ascending  by  steps 
170  feet  from  the  ground,  and  the  internal  decorations  were 
very  costly.  The  Mormons  having  grown  rich  and  powerful 
under  persecution,  expended  nearly  a  million  of  dollars  upon 
this  edifice. 

The  foundation-stone  was  laid  with  much  pomp  on  the 
6th  of  April,  1841,  within  less  than  two  years  and  a  half 
after  the  expulsion  of  the  sect  from  Missouri.  A  writer  in 
the  Mormon  paper,  the  Tirnes  and  Seasons,  described  the 
ceremony  as  one  of  the  most  magnificent  that  had  ever  been 
witnessed  in  America.  At  an  early  hour  on  the  appointed 
day,  the  prophet,  who  then  enjoyed  the  title  of  Lieut. -Gen- 
eral Smith,  "  was  informed  that  the  legion  was  ready  for  re- 
view, and  accompanied  by  his  staff,  consisting  of  four  aides- 
de-camp  and  twelve  guards,  nearly  all  in  splendid  uniforms, 
took  his  march  to  the  parade  ground.  On  their  approach 
they  were  met  by  the  band,  beautifully  equipped,  who  re- 
ceived them  with  a  flourish  of  trumpets,  and  a  regular  salute, 
and  then  struck  up  a  lively  air,  marching  in  front  to  the 
stand  of  the  Lieut. -General.  On  his  approach  to  the  parade 
ground  the  artillery  were  again  fired,  and  the  legion  gave  an 
appropriate  salute.  This,"  said  the  Mormon  reporter,  "  was 
indeed  a  glorious  sight,  such  as  we  never  saw,  nor  did  we 
ever  expect  to  see  such  a  one  in  the  west.  The  several 
companies  presented  a  beautiful  and  interesting  spectacle, 
several  of  them  being  uniformed  and  equipped,  while  the 


134  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

rich  and  costly  dresses  of  the  officers  would  have  become  a 
Bonaparte  or  a  Washington. 

"  After  the  arrival  of  Lieut. -General  Smith,  the  ladies, 
who  had  made  a  beautiful  silk  flag,  drove  up  in  a  carriage 
to  present  it  to  the  legion.  Major-General  Bennett  very 
politely  attended  on  them,  and  conducted  them  in  front  of 
Lieut. -General  Smith,  who  immediately  alighted  from  his 
charger,  and  walked  up  to  the  ladies,  who  presented  the 
flag,  making  an  appropriate  address.  Lieut-General  Smith 
acknowledged  the  honor  conferred  upon  the  legion,  and 
stated  that  as  long  as  he  had  the  command  it  should  never 
be  disgraced,  and  then  politely  bowing  to  the  ladies,  gave  it 
into  the  hands  of  Major-General  Bennett,  who  placed  it  in 
the  possession  of  Cornet  Robinson,  and  it  was  soon  seen 
gracefully  waving  in  front  of  the  legion.  During  the  time 
of  presentation  the  band  struck  up  a  lively  air,  and  another 
salute  was  fired  from  the  artillery. 

"  After  the  presentation  of  the  flag,  Lieut. -General  Smith, 
accompanied  by  his  suit,  reviewed  the  legion,  which  pre- 
sented a  very  imposing  appearance,  the  different  offices  salut- 
ing as  he  passed.  Lieut. -General  Smith  then  took  his  former 
stand,  and  the  whole  legion  passed  before  him  in  review." 

A  procession  was  then  formed  with  Joseph  at  its  head,  fol- 
lowed by  Aides-de-Camp — Brigadiers — a  military  band — a 
body  of  infantry — and  of  cavalry — and  a  troop  of  young 
ladies  eight  a-breast.  On  its  arrival  at  the  temple  block,  the 
generals  with  their  staffs,  and  the  strangers  present,  took 
their  position  inside  the  foundation  ;  the  ladies  formed  on  the 
outside,  immediately  next  the  walls,  the  gentlemen  and  in- 
fantry behind,  and  the  cavalry  in  the  rear. 

The  assembly  being  stationed,  the  choristers  sung  an  ap- 
propriate hymn.  Sidney  Rigdon  then  ascended  a  platform, 
which  had  been  prepared  for  the  purpose,  and  delivered  an 
oration,  which  lasted  for  an  hour ;  in  which  he  passed  in  re 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  NAUVOO.  135 

view  "  the  scenes  of  tribulation  and  anguish  through  which 
the  Saints  had  passed,  the  barbarous  cruelties  inflicted  upon 
them  for  their  faith  and  attachment  to  the  cause  of  their 
God,  and  for  the  testimony  of  Jesus,  which  they  endured  with 
patience,  knowing  that  they  had  in  heaven  a  more  enduring 
substance — a  crown  of  eternal  glory.  In  obedience  to  the 
commandments  of  their  Heavenly  Father,  and  because  that 
Jesus  had  again  spoken  from  the  heavens,  were  they  engaged 
in  laying  the  foundation  of  the  Temple,  that  the  Most  High 
might  have  an  habitation,  and  where  the  Saints  might  as- 
semble to  pay  their  devotions  to  his  holy  name.  He  re- 
joiced at  the  glorious  prospect  which  presented  itself  of  soon 
completing  the  edifice,  as  there  were  no  mobs  to  hinder  their 
labors,  consequently  their  circumstances  were  very  different 
than  before." 

After  the  address  the  choir  sung  a  hymn.  Sidney  Rigdon 
then  invoked  the  blessings  of  Almighty  God  upon  the  assem- 
bly, and  upon  those  who  should  labor  upon  the  building. 
This  done  the  Prophet  went  through  the  principal  ceremony 
of  the  day,  and  said  that  the  first  corner-stone  of  the  Temple 
of  Almighty  God  was  laid.  He  prayed  with  much  solemnity 
that  the  building  might  soon  be  completed,  that  the  Saints 
might  have  an  habitation  to  worship  the  God  of  their  fathers. 

"  It  was  a  gladsome  sight,"  said  the  Times  and  Seasons, 
"  and  extremely  affecting,  to  see  the  old  revolutionary  patriots, 
who  had  been  driven  from  their  homes  in  Missouri,  strike 
hands  and  rejoice  together  in  a  land  where  they  knew  they 
would  be  protected  from  mobs,  and  where  they  could  again 
enjoy  the  liberty  for  which  they  had  fought  many  a  hard 
battle. 

"  The  day  was  indeed  propitious — heaven  and  earth  com- 
bined to  make  the  scene  as  glorious  as  possible." 

Shortly  before  the  foundation-stone  of  the  temple  was  laid, 
Joseph  attracted  the  attention  of  a  personage,  whom  he  ap- 


136  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

pointed  to  a  military  command  in  Nauvoo,  and  who  figures 
as  Major-General  Bennett  in  the  Mormon  report  of  that  cere- 
monial which  has  just  been  quoted.  This  Bennett,  being  am- 
bitious, unscrupulous,  and  unprincipled,  seems  to  have  had  an 
idea  that  by  means  of  Mormonism  he  might  become  of  im- 
portance in  America  ;  and,  without  mincing  the  matter  by 
fine  words,  he  wrote  to  the  Prophet  to  propose  himself  as  his 
"  right-hand  man."  "  You  know,"  said  he  to  Joseph,  "  that 
Mahomet  had  his  right-hand  man  ;"  and  why,  he  suggested, 
should  not  the  new  Mahomet  or  Moses  have  his  right-hand 
man  also  ?     This  curious  letter  ran  as  follows  : — 

Arlington  House,  Oct.  24ih,  1843. 

"  Dear  General, — I  am  happy  to  know  that  you  have  taken  pos- 
session of  your  new  establishment,  and  presume  you  will  be  emi- 
nently successful  and  happy  in  it,  together  with  your  good  lady  and 
family.  You  are  no  doubt  already  aware  that  I  have  had  a  most  in- 
teresting visit  from  your  most  excellent  and  worthy  friend,  President 
B.  Young,  with  whom  I  have  had  a  glorious  frolic  in  the  clear,  blue 
ocean ;  for  most  assuredly  a  frolic  it  was,  without  a  moment's  reflec- 
tion or  consideration.  Nothing  of  this  kind  would  in  the  least  attach 
me  to  your  person  or  cause.  I  am  capable  of  being  a  most  undevi- 
ating  friend,  without  being  governed  by  the  smallest  religious  in- 
fluence. 

"  As  you  have  proved  yourself  to  be  a  philosophical  divine,  you 
will  excuse  me  when  I  say  that  we  must  leave  their  influence  to  the 
mass.  The  boldness  of  your  plans  and  measures,  together  with  their 
unparalleled  success  so  far,  are  calculated  to  throw  a  charm  over 
your  whole  being,  and  to  point  you  out  as  the  most  extraordinary 
man  of  the  present  age.  But  my  mind  is  of  so  mathematical  and 
philosophical  a  cast,  that  the  divinity  of  Moses  makes  no  impression 
on  me  ;  and  you  will  not  be  offended  when  I  say  that  I  rate  you 
higher  as  a  legislator  than  I  do  Moses,  because  we  have  you  present 
with  us  for  examination,  whereas  Moses  derives  his  chief  authority 
from  prescription  and  the  lapse  of  time.  I  cannot,  however,  say  but 
you  are  both  right,  it  being  out  of  the  power  of  man  to  prove  you 
wrong.     It  is  no  mathematical  problem,  and  can  therefore  get  no 


THE   PROPHET'S    "  RIGHT-HAND   MAN."  137 

mathematical  solution.  I  say,  therefore,  go  a-head — you  have  my 
good  wishes.     You  know  Mahomet  had  his  '  right-hand  man.'' 

"  The  celebrated  Thomas  Brown,  of  New  York,  is  now  engaged 
in  cutting  your  head  on  a  beautiful  cornelian  stone,  as  your  private 
seal,  which  will  be  set  in  gold  to  your  order,  and  sent  to  you.  It 
will  be  a  gem,  and  just  what  you  want.  His  sister  is  a  member  of 
your  church.  The  expense  of  the  seal  set  in  gold  will  be  about  forty 
dollars,  and  Mr.  Brown  assures  me  that  if  he  were  not  so  poor  a 
man,  he  would  present  it  to  you  free.  You  can,  however,  accept  it 
or  not,  as  he  can  apply  it  to  another  use.  I  am  myself  short  for 
cash ;  for  although  I  had  some  time  since  2,000  dollars  paid  me  by 
the  Harpers,  publishers,  as  the  first  instalment  on  the  purchase  of 
my  copyright,  yet  I  had  got  so  much  behind  during  the  hard  times, 
that  it  all  went  to  clear  up  old  scores.  I  expect  38,000  dollars  more, 
however,  in  semi-annual  payments,  from  those  gentlemen,  within  the 
limits  of  ten  years,  a  large  portion  of  which  I  intend  to  use  in  the 
State  of  Illinois,  in  the  purchase  and  conduct  of  a  large  tract  of 
land  ;  and,  therefore,  should  I  be  compelled  to  announce  in  this  quar- 
ter that  I  have  no  connection  with  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  you  will  of 
course  remain  silent,  as  I  shall  do  it  in  such  a  way  as  will  make  all 
things  right. 

"  I  may  yet  run  for  a  high  office  in  your  State,  when  you  would 
be  sure  of  my  best  services  in  your  behalf ;  therefore,  a  known  con- 
nection with  you  would  be  against  our  mutual  interest.  It  can  be 
shown  that  a  commission  in  the  legion  was  a  Herald  hoax,  coined 
for  the  fun  of  it,  by  me,  as  it  is  not  believed  even  now  by  the  pub- 
lic. In  short,  I  expect  to  be  yet,  through  your  influence,  Gover- 
nor of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

"  My  respects  to  Brothers  Young,  Richards,  Mrs.  Emma,  and  all 

friends.  "  Yours,  most  respectfully, 

"  Jas.  Arlington  Bennett. 
"  Lieut-General  Smith." 

"  P.  S.  As  the  office  of  Inspector-General  confers  no  command 
on  me,  being  a  mere  honorary  title,  if,  therefore,  there  is  any  gentle- 
man in  Nauvoo  who  would  like  to  fill  it  in  a  practical  way,  I  shall 
with  great  pleasure  and  good- will  resign  it  to  him,  by  receiving  ad- 
vice from  you  to  that  effect.  It  is  an  office-  that  should  be  filled  by 
some  scientific  officer.  J.  A.  B." 


138  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

Joseph's  reply  to  this  singular  and  too  candid  epistle  was 
quite  as  singular,  and  infinitely  more  amusing.  Joseph  was 
too  cunning  a  man  to  accept,  in  plain  terms,  the  rude  but  ser- 
viceable offer ;  and  he  rebuked  the  vanity  and  presumption 
of  Mr.  Bennett,  while  dexterously  retaining  him  for  future  use. 
He  was  not  at  all  angry,  though  he  endeavored  to  appear  so. 

"  Nauvoo,  Illinois,  Nov.  13th,  1843. 

"  Dear  Sir, — Your  letter  of  the  24th  ult.  has  been  regularly  re- 
ceived ;  its  contents  duly  appreciated,  and  its  whole  tenor  candidly 
considered  ;  and,  according  to  my  manner  of  judging  all  things  in 
righteousness,  I  proceed  to  answer  you ;  and  shall  leave  you  to  medi- 
tate whether  mathematical  problems,  founded  upon  the  truth  of  reve- 
lation, or  religion  as  promulgated  by  me,  or  Moses,  can  be  solved  by 
rules  and  principles  existing  in  the  systems  of  common  knowledge. 

"  How  far  you  are  capable  of  being  '  a  most  undeviating  friend, 
without  being  governed  by  the  smallest  religious  influence,'  will  best 
be  decided  by  your  survivors,  as  all  past  experience  most  assuredly 
proves.  Without  controversy,  that  friendship,  which  intelligent  beings 
would  accept  as  sincere,  must  arise  from  love,  and  that  love  grow 
out  of  virtue,  which  is  as  much  a  part  of  religion  as  light  is  a  part 
of  Jehovah.  Hence  the  saying  of  Jesus  : — '  Greater  love  hath  no 
man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  a  friend.' 

"  You  observed, '  as  I  have  proven  myself  to  be  a  philosophical  di- 
vine, I  must  excuse  you  when  you  say  that  we  must  leave  these  in- 
fluences to  the  mass.'  The  meaning  of '  philosophical  divine' may 
be  taken  in  various  ways.  If,  as  the  learned  world  apply  the  term, 
you  infer  that  I  have  achieved  a  victory,  and  been  strengthened  by  a 
scientific  religion,  as  practised  by  ihe  popular  sects  of  the  age, 
through  the  aid  of  colleges,  seminaries,  Bible-societies,  missionary 
boards,  financial  organizations,  and  gospel-money  schemes,  then  you 
are  wrong ;  such  a  combination  of  men  and  means  shows  the  form 
of  godliness  without  the  power  ;  for  is  it  not  written,  '  I  will  destroy 
the  wisdom  of  the  wise ;  beware  lest  any  man  spoil  you  through 
philosophy  and  vain  deceit,  after  the  rudiments  of  the  world,  and  not 
after  the  doctrines  of  Christ.'  But  if  the  inference  is,  that  by  more 
love,  more  light,  more  virtue,  and  more  truth  from  the  Lord,  I  have 


THE    PROPHET'S    "  RIGHT-HAND    MAN."  139 

succeeded  as  a  man  of  God,  then  you  reason  truly,  though  the  weight 
of  the  sentiment  is  lost,  when  the  '  influence  is  left  to  the  mass.'  Do 
men  gather  grapes  of  thorns,  or  figs  of  thistles  ? 

"  Of  course,  you  follow  out  the  figure,  and  say, '  the  boldness  of 
my  plans  and  measures,  together  with  their  unparalleled  success  so 
far,  are  calculated  to  throw  a  charm  over  my  whole  being,  and  to 
point  me  out  as  the  most  extraordinary  man  of  the  present  age.' 
The  boldness  of  my  plans  and  measures  can  readily  be  tested  by  the 
touch-stone  of  all  schemes,  systems,  projects,  and  adventures — truth, 
for  truth  is  a  matter  of  fact ;  and  the  fact  is,  that  by  the  power  of 
God  I  translated  the  Book  of  Mormon  from  hieroglyphics,  the  knowl- 
edge of  which  was  lost  to  the  world  :  in  which  wonderful  event,  I  stood 
alone,  an  unlearned  youth,  to  combat  the  worldly  wisdom  and  multi- 
plied ignorance  of  eighteen  centuries  with  a  new  revelation,  which  (if 
they  would  receive  the  everlasting  Gospel)  would  open  the  eyes  of 
more  than  eight  hundred  millions  of  people,  and  make  '  plain  the  old 
paths,'  wherein  if  a  man  walk  in  all  the  ordinances  of  God  blame- 
less, he  shall  inherit  eternal  life ;  and  Jesus  Christ,  who  was,  and  is, 
and  is  to  come,  has  borne  me  safely  over  every  snare  and  plan,  laid 
in  secret  or  openly,  through  priestly  hypocrisy,  sectarian  prejudice, 
popular  philosophy,  executive  power,  or  law-defying  mobocracy,  to 
destroy  me. 

"  If,  then,  the  hand  of  God,  in  all  these  things  that  I  have  accom- 
plished, towards  the  salvation  of  a  priest-ridden  generation,  in  the 
short  space  of  twelve  years,  through  the  boldness  of  the  plan  of 
preaching  the  Gospel,  and  the  boldness  of  the  means  of  declaring  re- 
pentance and  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  a  reception  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  by  laying  on  of  the  hands,  agreeably  to  the  authority  of 
the  priesthood,  and  the  still  more  bold  measures  of  receiving  direct 
revelation  from  God,  through  the  Comforter,  as  promised,  and  by 
which  means  all  holy  men,  from  ancient  times  till  now,  have  spoken 
and  revealed  the  will  of  God  to  men,  with  the  consequent '  success' 
of  the  gathering  of  the  Saints,  throws  any '  charm'  around  my  being, 
and  '  points  me  out  as  the  most  extraordinary  man  of  the  age,'  it 
demonstrates  the  fact,  that  truth  is  mighty,  and  must  prevail ;  and 
that  one  man  empowered  from  Jehovah  has  more  influence  with  the 
children  of  the  kingdom  than  eight  hundred  millions  led  by  the  pre- 
cepts of  men.   God  exalts  the  humble,  and  debases  the  haughty.   But 


140  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

let  me  assure  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  who  spake  as  never  man 
spake,  that  the  '  boldness  of  the  plans  and  measures,'  as  you  term 
them,  but  which  should  be  denominated  the  righteousness  of  the 
cause,  the  truth  of  the  system,  and  power  of  God,  which,  '  so  far,' 
has  borne  me  and  the  church  (in  which  I  glory  in  having  the  privi- 
lege of  being  a  member)  successfully  through  the  storm  of  reproach, 
folly,  ignorance,  malice,  persecution,  falsehood,  sacerdotal  wrath, 
newspaper  satire,  pamphlet  libels,  and  the  combined  influence  of  the 
powers  of  earth  and  hell,  I  say  these  powers  of  righteousness  and 
truth  are  not  the  decrees  or  rules  of  an  ambitious  and  aspiring  Nim- 
rod,  Pharaoh,  Nebuchadnezzar,  Alexander,  Mahomet,  Buonaparte, 
or  other  great  sounding  heroes,  that  dazzled  forth  with  a  trail  of 
pomp  and  circumstances  for  a  little  season,  like  a  comet,  and  then 
disappeared,  leaving  a  wide  waste  where  such  an  existence  once  was, 
with  only  a  name ;  nor  were  the  glorious  results  of  what  you  term 
'  boldness  of  plans  and  measures,'  with  the  attendant '  success,'  ma- 
tured by  the  self-aggrandizing  wisdom  of  the  Priests  of  Baal,  the 
Scribes  and  Pharisees  of  the  Jews,  Popes  and  Bishops  of  Christen- 
dom, or  Pagans  of  Juggernaut ;  were  they  extended  by  the  divisions 
and  sub-divisions  of  a  Luther,  a  Calvin,  a  Wesley,  or  even  a  Camp- 
bell, supported  by  a  galaxy  of  clergymen  and  churchmen,  of  what- 
ever name  or  nature,  bound  apart  by  cast-iron  creeds,  and  fastened 
to  set  stakes  by  chain-cable  opinions,  without  revelation ;  nor  are 
they  the  lions  of  the  land,  nor  the  leviathans  of  the  sea,  moving 
among  the  elements,  as  distant  chimeras  to  fatten  the  fancy  of  the 
infidel ;  but  they  are  as  the  stone  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without 
hands,  and  will  become  a  great  mountain,  and  fill  the  whole  earth. 
Were  I  an  Egyptian,  I  would  exclaim,  Jah-oh-eh,  Enish-go-on-dosh, 
Flo-ees,  Flos-is-is.  [O  the  earth  !  the  power  of  attraction,  and  the 
moon  passing  between  her  and  the  sun.]  A  Hebrew,  Haueldheem 
yerau ;  a  Greek,  O  theos  phos  esi ;  a  Roman,  Dominus  regit  me ; 
a  German,  Gott  gebe  uns  das  licht ;  a  Portugee,  Senhor  Jesu  Christo 
libordade  ;  a  Frenchman,  Dieu  defend  le  droit ;  but  as  I  am,  I  give 
God  the  glory,  and  say,  in  the  beautiful  figure  of  the  poet — 

/'  Could  we  with  ink  the  ocean  fill, 
Was  the  whole  earth  of  parchment  made, 
And  every  single  stick  a  quill, 
And  every  man  a  scribe  by  trade, 


THE    PROPHET'S    "  RIGHT-HAND   MAN."  141 

To  write  the  love  of  God  above 
Would  drain  the  ocean  dry, 
Nor  could  the  whole  upon  a  scroll 
Be  spread  from  sky  to  sky.' 

"  It  seems  that  your  mind  is  of  such  '  a  mathematical  and  philo- 
sophical cast,  that  the  divinity  of  Moses  makes  no  impression  upon 
you,  and  that  I  will  not  be  offended  when  you  say,  that  you  rate  me 
higher  as  a  legislator  than  you  do  Moses,  because  you  have  me 
present  with  you  for  examination  ;'  that  '  Moses  derives  his  chief  au- 
thority from  prescription  and  the  lapse  of  time  ;  you  cannot,  however, 
say  but  we  are  both  right,  it  being  out  of  the  power  of  man  to  prove 
us  wrong.  It  is  no  mathematical  problem,  and  can  therefore  get  no 
mathematical  solution.' 

"  Now,  Sir,  to  cut  the  matter  short,  and  not  dally  with  your  learned 
ideas  for  fashion's  sake,  you  have  here  given  your  opinion,  without 
reserve,  that  revelation,  the  knowledge  of  God,  prophetic  vision,  the 
truth  of  eternity,  cannot  be  solved  as  a  mathematical  problem.  The 
first  question,  then,  is,  what  is  a  mathematical  problem  ?  And  the 
natural  answer  is,  a  statement,  proposition,  or  question,  that  can  be 
solved,  ascertained,  unfolded,  or  demonstrated,  by  knowledge,  facts 
or  figures  ;  for  '  mathematical'  is  an  adjective  derived  from  Mathesis 
(Gr.),  meaning  in  English,  learning  or  knowledge.  '  Problem'  is 
derived  from  probleme  (French),  or  probleme  (Latin,  Italian,  or 
Spanish),  and  in  each  language  means  a  question  or  proposition, 
whether  true  or  false.  '  Solve'  is  derived  from  the  Latin  verb  solvo, 
to  explain  or  answer.  One  thing  more,  in  order  to  prove  the  work 
as  we  proceed ;  it  is  necessary  to  have  witnesses,  two  or  three  of 
whose  testimonies,  according  to  the  laws  or  rules  of  God  and  man, 
are  sufficient  to  establish  any  one  point. 

"  Now  for  the  question.  How  much  are  one  and  one  ?  Two.  How 
much  is  one  from  two  ?  One.  Very  well,  one  question  or  problem 
is  solved  by  figures.  Now  let  me  ask  one  for  facts :  Was  there 
ever  such  a  place  on  the  earth  as  Egypt  ?  Geography  says  Yes ; 
ancient  history  says  Yes ;  and  the  Bible  says  Yes.  So  three  wit- 
nesses have  solved  that  question.  Again,  Lived  there  ever  such  a 
man  as  Moses  in  Egypt?  The  same  witnesses  reply  Certainly. 
And  was  he  a  prophet  ?    The  same  witnesses,  or  a  part,  have  left 


142  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

on  record  that  Moses  predicted  in  Leviticus  that  if  Israel  broke  the 
covenant  they  had  made,  the  Lord  would  scatter  them  among  the 
nations,  till  the  land  enjoyed  her  Sabbaths  ;  and  subsequently  these 
witnesses  have  testified  of  the  captivity  in  Babylon,  and  other  places, 
in  fulfilment.  But,  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  Moses  prays 
that  the  ground  might  open,  and  swallow  up  Korah  and  his  company 
for  transgression,  and  it  was  so  :  and  he  endorses  the  prophecy  of 
Balaam,  which  said,  Out  of  Jacob  shall  come  he  that  shall  have  do- 
minion, and  shall  destroy  him  that  remaineth  of  the  city ;  amd  Jesus 
Christ,  as  him  that '  had  dominion,'  about  fifteen  hundred  years  after, 
in  accordance  with  this  and  the  prediction  of  Moses,  David,  Isaiah, 
and  many  others,  came,  saying :  Moses  wrote  of  me,  declaring  the 
dispersion  of  the  Jews,  and  the  utter  destruction  of  the  '  city ;'  and 
the  apostles  were  his  witnesses,  unirnpeached,  especially  Jude,  who 
not  only  endorses  the  facts  of  Moses'  '  divinity,'  but  also  the  events 
of  Balaam,  and  Korah,  with  many  others,  as  true.  Besides  these 
tangible  facts,  so  easily  proven  and  demonstrated  by  simple  rules  and 
testimony  unirnpeached,  the  art  (now  lost)  of  embalming  human 
bodies,  and  preserving  them  in  the  catacombs  of  Egypt,  whereby 
men,  women,  and  children,  as  mummies,  after  a  lapse  of  near  three 
thousand  five  hundred  years,  come  forth  among  the  living,  and  al- 
though dead,  the  papyrus  which  has  lived  in  their  bosoms  unharmed, 
speaks  for  them,  in  language  like  the  sound  of  an  earthquake  :  Ecce 
xeritas  !  Ecce  cadaveros !  Behold  the  truth  !  Behold  the  mummies  ! 
Oh,  my  dear  Sir,  the  sunken  Tyre  and  Sidon,  the  melancholy  dust 
where  •  the  city'  of  Jerusalem  once  was,  and  the  mourning  of  the 
Jews  among  the  nations,  together  with  such  a  '  cloud  of  witnesses,' 
if  you  had  been  as  well  acquainted  with  your  God  and  Bible  as  with 
your  purse  and  pence  table,  the  '  divinity'  of  Moses  would  have  dis- 
pelled the  fog  of  five  thousand  years,  and  filled  you  with  light ;  for 
facts,  like  diamonds,  not  only  cut  glass,  but  they  are  the  most  pre- 
cious jewels  on  earth.  The  spirit  of  prophecy  is  the  testimony  of 
Jesus. 

"  The  world  at  large  is  ever  ready  to  credit  the  writings  of  Homer, 
Hesiod,  Plutarch,  Socrates,  Pythagoras,  Virgil,  Josephus,  Mahomet, 
and  a  hundred  others ;  but  where,  tell  me  where,  have  they  left  a 
line,  a  simple  method  of  solving  the  truth  of  the  plan  of  eternal  life  ? 
Says  the  Saviour, '  If  any  man  will  do  his  (the  Father's)  will,  he 


THE    PROPHET'S    "  RIGHT-HAND    MAN."  143 

shall  know  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  I  speak 
of  myself.'  Here  then  is  a  method  of  solving  the  « divinity'  of  men 
by  the  divinity  within  yourself,  that  as  far  exceeds  the  calculation  of 
numbers,  as  the  sun  exceeds  a  candle.  Would  to  God  that  all  men 
understood  it,  and  were  willing  to  be  governed  by  it,  that  when  one 
had  filled  the  measure  of  his  days,  he  could  exclaim  like  Jesus, '  Veni 
mori,  et  revhiscere  /' 

"  Your  good  wishes  to  '  go  a-head,'  coupled  with  Mahomet  and  a 
'  right-hand  man,'  are  rather  more  vain  than  virtuous.  Why,  Sir, 
Caesar  had  his  right-hand  Brutus,  who  was  his  'left-hand'  assassin; 
not,  however,  applying  the  allusion  to  you. 

"  As  to  the  private  seal  you  mention,  if  sent  to  me,  I  shall  receive 
it  with  the  gratitude  of  a  servant  of  God,  and  pray  that  the  donor 
may  receive  a  reward  in  the  resurrection  of  the  just. 

"  The  summit  of  your  future  fame  seems  to  be  hid  in  the  political 
policy  of  a  '  mathematical  problem'  for  the  chief  magistracy  of  this 
State,  which,  I  suppose,  might  be  solved  by  '  double  position,'  where 
the  errors  of  the  supposition  are  used  to  produce  a  true  answer. 

"  But,  Sir,  when  I  leave  the  dignity  and  honor  I  received  from 
heaven  to  hoist  a  man  into  power,  through  the  aid  of  my  friends, 
where  the  evil  and  designing,  after  the  object  has  been  accomplished, 
can  lock  up  the  clemency  intended  as  a  reciprocation  for  such  fa- 
vors, and  where  the  wicked  and  unprincipled,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
would  seize  the  opportunity  to  flintify  the  hearts  of  the  nation  against 
me  for  dabbling  at  a  sly  game  in  politics ;  verily,  I  say,  when  I  leave 
the  dignity  and  honor  of  heaven  to  gratify  the  ambition  and  vanity 
of  man  or  men,  may  my  power  cease,  like  the  strength  of  Samson, 
when  he  was  shorn  of  his  locks,  while  asleep  in  the  lap  of  Delilah  ! 
Truly  said  the  Saviour,  Cast  not  your  pearls  before  swine,  lest  they 
trample  them  under  their  feet,  and  turn  again  and  rend  you. 

"  Shall  I  who  have  witnessed  the  visions  of  eternity,  and  beheld 
the  glories  of  the  mansions  of  bliss,  and  the  regions  and  the  misery 
of  the  damned,  shall  I  turn  to  be  a  Judas  ?  Shall  I,  who  have  heard 
the  voice  of  God,  and  communed  with  angels,  and  spake,  as  moved 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  for  the  renewal  of  the  everlasting  covenant,  and 
for  the  gathering  of  Israel  in  the  last  days,  shall  I  worm  myself  into 
a  political  hypocrite  ?  Shall  I,  who  hold  the  keys  of  the  last  king- 
dom, in  which  is  the  dispensation  of  the  fulness  of  all  things  spoken 


144  HISTORY   OF   THE    MORMONS. 

by  the  mouths  of  all  holy  prophets,  since  the  world  began,  under  the 
sealing  power  of  the  Melchizedek  priesthood — shall  I  stoop  from  the 
sublime  authority  of  Almighty  God  to  be  handled  as  a  monkey's 
catspaw,  and  pettify  myself  into  a  clown  to  act  the  farce  of  political 
demagoguery  ?  No,  verily  no  !  The  whole  earth  shall  bear  me 
witness  that  I,  like  the  towering  rock  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean, 
which  has  withstood  the  mighty  surges  of  the  warring  waves  for 
centuries,  am  impregnable,  and  am  a  faithful  friend  to  virtue,  and  a 
fearless  foe  to  vice ;  no  odds,  whether  the  former  was  sold  as  a  pearl 
in  Asia,  or  hid  as  a  gem  in  America,  and  the  latter  dazzles  in  pala- 
ces, or  glimmers  among  the  tombs. 

"  I  combat  the  errors  of  ages  ;  I  meet  the  violence  of  mobs  ;  I  cope 
with  illegal  proceedings  from  executive  authority  ;  I  cut  the  Gordian 
knot  of  powers ;  and  I  solve  mathematical  problems  of  Universities : 
with  truth,  diamond  truth,  and  God  is  my  '  right-hand  man? 

"  And  to  close,  let  me  say  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  to  you,  and 
to  Presidents,  Emperors,  Kings,  Queens,  Governors,  Rulers,  Nobles, 
and  Men  in  Authority  everywhere,  do  the  works  of  righteousness, 
execute  justice  and  judgment  in  the  earth,  that  God  may  bless  you, 
and  her  inhabitants  ;  and 

"  '  The  laurel  that  grows  on  the  top  of  the  mountain 

Shall  green  for  your  fame  while  the  sun  sheds  a  ray ; 
And  the  lily,  that  blows  by  the  side  of  the  fountain, 
Will  bloom  for  your  virtue  till  earth  melts  away.' 

"  With  due  consideration  and  respect, 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be  your  most  ob't.  servant, 

"Joseph  Smith." 
"  Gen.  J.  A.  Bennett,  Arlington  House,  N.  Y." 

"  P.S.  The  Court  Martial  will  attend  to  your  case  in  the  Nauvoo 
Legion.  J.  s." 

A  letter  signed  Veritas,  published  in  the  Neiv  York 
Herald,  described  not  only  the  general  appearance,  but  gave 
some  particulars  of  the  physical  as  well  as  moral  weight  of 
the  leading  Mormons  at  this  time  : — 

"  It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  you  to  have  a  few  lines  from  your 


BOANERGES    OF    NAUVOO.  145 

correspondent  in  Zion— the  city  of  the  Saints— the  '  nucleus  of  a 
western  empire.'  In  this  communication  I  purpose  giving  you  a 
description  of  the  first  presidency  of  the  Mormon  hierarchy,  which 
consists  of  four  dignitaries,  to  wit,  a  principal  prophet,  a  patriarch, 
and  two  councillors. 

"  Joseph  Smith,  the  president  of  the  church,  prophet,  seer,  and 
revelator,  is  thirty-six  years  of  age,  six  feet  high  in  his  pumps, 
weighing  two  hundred  and  twelve  pounds.  He  is  a  man  of  the 
highest  talent  and  great  independence  of  character,  firm  in  his  in- 
tegrity, and  devoted  to  his  religion  ;  in  one  word  he  is  a  per  se,  as 
President  Tyler  would  say  ;  as  a  public  speaker,  he  is  bold,  power- 
ful, and  convincing,  possessing  both  the  suaviter  in  modo  and  the 
fortUer  in  re ;  as  a  leader,  wise  and  prudent,  yet  fearless  ;  as  a  mili- 
tary commander,  brave  and  determined  ;  as  a  citizen,  worthy,  affable, 
and  kind  ;  bland  in  his  manners,  and  of  noble  bearing.  His  amiable 
ladv,  too,  the  Electa  Cyria,  is  a  woman  of  superior  intellect  and  ex- 
emplary piety ;  in  every  respect  suited  to  her  situation  in  society,  as 
the  wife  of  one  of  the  most  accomplished  and  powerful  chiefs  of 
the  age. 

"  Hyrum  Smith,  the  patriarch  of  the  church  and  brother  of  Joseph, 
is  forty-two  years  of  age,  five  feet  eleven  and  a  half  inches  high, 
weighing  one  hundred  and  ninety-three  pounds.  He,  too,  is  a  pro- 
phet, seer,  and  revelator,  and  is  one  of  the  most  pious  and  devout 
Christians  in  the  world.  He  is  a  man  of  great  wisdom  and  superior 
excellence,  possessing  great  energy  of  character,  and  originality  of 
thought. 

"  Sidney  Rigdon,  one  of  the  councillors,  prophet,  seer,  and  reve- 
lator, is  forty-two  years  of  age,  five  feet  nine  and  a  half  inches  high, 
weighing  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  pounds ;  his  former  weight, 
until  reduced  by  sickness,  produced  by  the  Missouri  persecution, 
was  two  hundred  and  twelve  pounds.  He  is  a  mighty  man  in  Israel, 
of  varied  learning,  and  extensive  and  laborious  research.  There  is 
no  divine  in  the  West  more  deeply  learned  in  biblical  literature,  and 
the  history  of  the  world,  than  he ;  an  eloquent  orator,  chaste  in  his 
language,  and  conclusive  in  his  reasoning ;  any  city  would  be  proud 
of  such  a  man.  By  his  proclamation,  thousands  on  thousands  have 
heard  the  glad  tidings  and  obeyed  the  word  of  God ;  but  he  is  now 

10 


146  HISTORY   OF   THE    MORMONS. 

in  the  '  sear  and  yellow  leaf,'  and  his  silvery  locks  fast  ripening  for 
the  grave. 

"  William  Law,  the  other  councillor,  is  thirty-two  years  of  age, 
five  feet  eight  and  a  half  inches  high,  weighing  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  pounds.  He  is  a  great  logician  and  profound  reasoner ; 
of  correct  business  habits,  and  great  devotion  to  the  service  of  God. 
No  man  could  be  better  fitted  to  his  station — wise,  discreet,  just, 
prudent — a  man  of  great  suavity  of  manners  and  amiability  of 
character. 

"  All  these  men  are  Boanerges  of  the  church,  thundering  in  the 
western  forests,  and  hurling  arguments  and  reasons  against  the  sec- 
taries of  the  age,  like  the  thunderbolts  of  Jupiter.  Their  wives  and 
children  present,  likewise,  a  pleasing  spectacle  of  intellect,  good- 
ness, hospitality,  and  kindness  seldom  witnessed." 

It  is  necessary  to  append  to  this  rather  flattering  statement, 
that  with  the  exception  of  Hyrum  Smith,  every  other  "  Boa- 
nerges" of  the  Church  here  mentioned  was  afterwards  expelled 
or  withdrew  from  it,  and  that  the  adventurer,  General  Ben- 
nett, did  not  long  remain  among  the  Saints.  The  "  right- 
hand  man"  was  made  useful  for  a  time  ;  but  not  being  trusted 
to  the  extent  he  desired,  he  probably  lost  interest  in  the  for- 
tunes of  Joseph  Smith,  and  transferred  his  patronage  else- 
where. 

A  letter  from  an  officer  of  the  United  States'  Artillery,  who 
was  travelling  westward  in  September,  1842,  described  a 
grand  review  of  the  Mormon  legion  at  Nauvoo,  of  which.he 
was  an  eye-witness,  and  ventured  on  a  prediction  which  sub- 
sequent events  very  singularly  verified  : — 

"  Yesterday,"  he  says,  "  was  a  great  day  among  the  Mormons. 
Their  legion,  to  the  number  of  two  thousand  men,  was  paraded  by 
Generals  Smith,  Bennett,  and  others,  and  certainly  made  a  very  no- 
ble and  imposing  appearance.  The  evolutions  of  the  troops  directed 
by  Major-General  Bennett,  would  do  honor  to  any  body  of  armed 
militia  in  any  of  the  States,  and  approximates  very  closely  to  our 
regular  forces.  What  does  all  this  mean  ?  Why  this  exact  disci- 
pline of  the  Mormon  corps  ?     Do  they  intend  to  conquer  Missouri 


THE    NAUVOO    LEGION.  147 

Illinois,  Mexico  ?  It  is  true  they  are  part  of  the  militia  of  the  State 
of  Illinois,  by  the  charter  of  their  legion  ;  but  then  there  are  no 
troops  in  the  States  like  them  in  point  of  enthusiasm  and  warlike 
aspect,  yea,  warlike  character.  Before  many  years  this  legion  will 
be  twenty,  and  perhaps  fifty,  thousand  strong,  and  still  augmenting. 
A  fearful  host,  filled  with  religious  enthusiasm  and  led  on  by  am- 
bitious and  talented  officers,  what  may  not  be  effected  by  them  ? 
Perhaps  the  subversion  of  the  constitution  of  the  United  States ;  and 
if  this  should  be  considered  too  great  a  task,  foreign  conquests  will 
most  certainly  follow.  Mexico  will  fall  into  their  hands,  even  if 
Texas  should  first  take  it. 

"  These  Mormons  are  accumulating  like  a  snowball  rolling  down 
an  inclined  plane,  which  in  the  end  becomes  an  avalanche.  They 
are  enrolling  among  their  officers  some  of  the  first  talent  in  the 
country,  by  titles  or  bribes,  it  don't  matter  which.  They  have  appoint- 
ed your  namesake,  Captain  Bennett,  late  of  the  army  of  the  United 
States,  Inspector-General  of  their  legion,  and  he  is  commissioned  as 
such  by  Governor  Carlin.  This  gentleman  is  known  to  be  well  skilled 
in  fortification,  gunnery,  ordnance,  castrametation,  and  military  en- 
gineering generally,  and  I  am  assured  that  he  is  now  under  pay, 
derived  from  the  tithings  of  this  warlike  people.  I  have  seen  his 
plans  for  fortifying  Nauvoo,  which  are  equal  to  any  of  Vauban's. 

"  Only  a  part  of  their  officers,  regents,  and  professors,  however, 
are  Mormons,  but  they  are  all  united  by  a  common  interest,  and  will 
act  together,  on  main  points,  to  a  man.  Those  whr*  are  not  Mor- 
mons, when  they  come  here,  very  soon  become  so,  either  from  inter- 
est or  conviction. 

"  The  Smiths  are  not  without  talent,  and  are  said  to  be  as  brave 
as  lions.  Joseph,  the  chief,  is  a  noble-looking  fellow,  a  Mahomet 
every  inch  of  him.  The  postmaster,  Sidney  Rigdon,  is  a  lawyer, 
philosopher,  and  saint.  Their  other  generals  are  also  men  of  talent, 
and  some  of  them  men  of  learning.  I  have  no  doubt  that  they  are 
all  brave,  as  they  are  most  unquestionably  ambitious,  and  the  ten- 
dency of  their  religious  creed  is  to  annihilate  all  other  sects  ;  you  may, 
therefore,  see  that  the  time  will  come  when  this  gathering  host  of 
religious  fanatics  will  make  this  country  shake  to  its  centre.  A 
western  empire  is  certain.  Ecclesiastical  history  presents  no  par- 
allel to  this  people,  inasmuch  as  they  are  establishing  their  religion 


148  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

on  a  learned  footing.  All  the  sciences  are  taught,  and  to  be  taught 
in  their  colleges,  with  Latin,  Greek,  Hebrew,  French,  Italian,  Span- 
ish, &c.  The  mathematical  sciences,  pure  and  mixed,  are  now  in 
successful  operation,  under  an  extremely  able  professor  of  the  name 
of  Pratt,  and  a  graduate  of  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  is  president  of 
their  University. 

"  Now,  Sir,  what  do  you  think  of  Joseph,  the  modern  Mahomet  ? 

"  I  arrived  here  incog.,  on  the  1st  instant,  and  from  the  great  prep- 
aration for  the  military  parade,  was  induced  to  stay  to  see  the  turn- 
out, which  I  confess  has  astonished  and  filled  me  with  fears  for  fu- 
ture consequences.  The  Mormons,  it  is  true,  are  now  peaceable, 
but  the  lion  is  asleep.     Take  care  and  don't  rouse  him. 

"  The  city  of  Nauvoo  contains  about  ten  thousand  souls,  and  is 
rapidly  increasing.  It  is  well  laid  out,  and  the  municipal  affairs 
appear  to  be  well  conducted.  The  adjoining  country  is  a  beautiful 
prairie.  Who  will  say  that  the  Mormon  Prophet  is  not  among  the 
great  spirits  of  the  age  ? 

"  The  Mormons  number  in  Europe  and  America  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand,  and  are  constantly  pouring  into  Nauvoo  and 
the  neighboring  country.  There  are  probably  in  and  about  this 
city  and  adjacent  territories,  not  far  from  thirty  thousand  of  these 
warlike  fanatics,  this  place  having  been  settled  by  them  only  three 
years  ago." 

A  public  lecturer  of  the  name  of  Newhall,  published,  in 
the  Salem  (Massachusetts)  Advertiser,  an  account  of  a  visit 
made  to  Nauvoo,  in  1843.  He  described  the  Temple  as  a 
very  "  magnificent  structure,  different  from  anything  in  an- 
cient or  modern  history,"  and  "General"  Smith's  legion  as  a 
very  fine  body  of  men.  He  was  present  at  a  grand  review 
of  the  corps  by  Joseph  himself,  accompanied  by  "  six  ladies 
on  horseback — who  were  dressed  in  black  velvet,  and  wore 
Waving  plumes  of  white  feathers,  and  rode  up  and  down  in 
front  of  the  regiment."  He  described  Joseph  as  "  very  socia- 
ble, easy,  cheerful,  obliging,  and  kind,  and  very  hospitable — 
in  a  word  a  jolly  fellow — and  one  of  the  last  persons  whom 
he  would  have  supposed  God  would  have  raised  up  as  a 


GENERAL   JOSEPH   SMITH   REVIEWING    THE   NAUVOO    LEGION. 


THE    "PROPHET"    IN    THE    PULPIT.  151 

prophet  or  a  priest."  Another  account  of  Joseph  was  pub- 
lished about  the  same  time  by  a  Methodist  preacher  of  the 
name  of  Prior. 

;t  I  will  not  attempt,"  said  this  writer,  "to  describe  the 
various  feelings  of  my  bosom  as  I  took  my  seat  in  a  conspicu- 
ous place  in  the  congregation,  who  were  waiting  in  breathless 
silence  for  his  appearance.  While  he  tarried,  I  had  plenty 
of  time  to  revolve  in  my  mind  the  character  and  common  re- 
port of  that  truly  singular  personage.  I  fancied  that  I  should 
behold  a  countenance  sad  and  sorrowful,  yet  containing  the 
fiery  marks  of  rage  and  exasperation.  I  supposed  that  I  should 
be  enabled  to  discover  in  him  some  of  those  thoughtful  and 
reserved  features,  those  mystic  and  sarcastic  glances,  which  I 
had  fancied  the  ancient  sages  to  possess.  I  expected  to  see 
that  fearful,  faltering  look  of  conscious  shame  which,  from 
what  I  had  heard  of  him,  he  might  be  expected  to  evince. 
He  appeared  at  last ;  but  how  was  I  disappointed  when  in- 
stead of  the  heads  and  horns  of  the  beast  and  false  prophet,  I 
beheld  only  the  appearance  of  a  common  man,  of  tolerably 
large  proportions.  I  was  sadly  disappointed,  and  thought 
that,  although  his  appearance  could  not  be  wrested  to  indi- 
cate anything  against  him,  yet  he  would  manifest  all  I  had 
heard  of  him  when  he  began  to  preach.  I  sat  uneasily,  and 
watched  him  closely.  He  commenced  preaching,  not  from 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  however,  but  from  the  Bible ;  the  first 
chapter  of  the  first  of  Peter  was  his  text.  He  commenced 
calmly,  and  continued  dispassionately  to  pursue  his  subjec-t, 
while  I  sat  in  breathless  silence,  waiting  to  hear  that  foul  as- 
persion of  the  other  sects,  that  diabolical  disposition  of  revenge, 
and  to  hear  that  rancorous  denunciation  of  every  individual 
but  a  Mormon.  I  waited  in  vain  ;  I  listened  with  surprise  ; 
I  sat  uneasy  in  my  seat,  and  could  hardly  persuade  myself 
but  that  he  had  been  apprized  of  my  presence,  and  so  ordered 
his  discourse  on  my  account,  that  I  might  not  be  able  to  find 


152  HISTORY    OP   THE   MORMONS. 

fault  with  it  ;  for  instead  of  a  jumbled  jargon  of  half-connect- 
ed sentences,  and  a  volley  of  imprecations,  and  diabolical  and 
malignant  denunciations,  heaped  upon  the  heads  of  all  who 
differed  from  him,  and  the  dreadful  twisting  and  wresting  of 
the  Scriptures  to  suit  his  own  peculiar  views,  and  attempts 
to  weave  a  web  of  dark  and  mystic  sophistry  around  the  Gos- 
pel truths,  which  I  had  anticipated,  he  glided  along  through 
a  very  interesting  and  elaborate  discourse  with  all  the  care 
and  happy  facility  of  one  who  was  well  aware  of  his  import- 
ant station,  and  his  duty  to  God  and  man." 

The  same  writer  thus  describes  Nauvoo  : — 

"  At  length  the  city  burst  upon  my  sight.  Instead  of  see- 
ing a  few  miserable  log  cabins  and  mud  hovels,  which  I  had 
expected  to  find,  I  was  surprised  to  see  one  of  the  most  ro- 
mantic places  that  I  had  visited  in  the  west.  The  buildings, 
though  many  of  them  were  small,  and  of  wood,  yet  bore  the 
marks  of  neatness  which  I  have  not  seen  equalled  in  this 
country.  The  far-spread  plain  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill  was 
dotted  over  with  the  habitations  of  men,  with  such  majestic 
profusion,  that  I  was  almost  willing  to  believe  myself  mis- 
taken, and  instead  of  being  in  Nauvoo  of  Illinois,  among  Mor- 
mons, that  I  was  in  Italy  at  the  city  of  Leghorn,  which  the 
location  of  Nauvoo  resembles  very  much.  I  gazed  for  some 
time  with  fond  admiration  upon  the  plain  below.  Here  and 
there  arose  a  tall  majestic  brick  house,  speaking  loudly  of  the 
genius  and  untiring  labor  of  the  inhabitants,  who  have  snatch- 
ed the  place  from  the  clutches  of  obscurity,  and  wrested  it 
from  the  bonds  of  disease  ;  and  in  two  or  three  short  years, 
rescued  it  from  a  dreary  waste  to  transform  it  into  one  of  the 
first  cities  in  the  west.  The  hill  upon  which  I  stood  was  cov- 
ered over  with  the  dwellings  of  men,  and  amid  them  was 
seen  to  rise  the  hewn  stone  and  already  accomplished  work 
of  the  Temple,  which  was  now  raised  fifteen  or  twenty  feet 
above  the  ground.     The  few  trees  that  were  permitted  to 


JOSEPH   SMITH   PREACHING. 


DESCRIPTION    OF    NAUVOO.  155 

stand  are  now  in  full  foliage,  and  are  scattered  with  a  sort  of 
fantastic  irregularity  over  the  slope  of  the  hill. 

"  But  there  was  one  object  which  was  far  more  noble  to  be- 
hold, and  far  more  majestic  than  any  other  yet  presented  to 
my  sight,  and  that  was  the  wide-spread  and  unrivalled  father 
of  waters,  the  Mississippi  river,  whose  mirror-bedded  waters 
lay  in  majestic  extension  before  the  city,  and  in  one  general 
curve,  seemed  to  sweep  gallantly  by  the  beautiful  place.  On 
the  farther  side  was  seen  the  dark  green  woodland,  bending 
under  its  deep  foliage,  with  here  and  there  an  interstice  bear- 
ing the  marks  of  cultivation.  A  few  houses  could  be  seen 
through  the  trees  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  directly  oppo- 
site to  which  is  spread  a  fairy  isle,  covered  with  beautiful 
timber.  The  isle  and  the  romantic  swell  of  the  river  soon 
brought  my  mind  back  to  days  of  yore,  and  to  the  bright  em- 
erald isles  of  the  far-famed  fairy  land.  The  bold  and  promi- 
nent rise  of  the  hill,  fitting  to  the  plain  with  exact  regularity, 
and  the  plain  pushing  itself  into  the  river,  forcing  it  to  bend 
around  its  obstacle  with  becoming  grandeur,  and  fondly  to 
cling  around  it  to  add  to  the  heightened  and  refined  lustre  of 
this  sequestered  land. 

"  I  passed  on  into  the  more  active  parts  of  the  city,  looking 
into  every  street  and  lane  to  observe  all  that  was  passing.  I 
found  all  the  people  engaged  in  some  useful  and  healthy  em- 
ployment. The  place  was  alive  with  business — much  more 
so  than  any  place  I  have  visited  since  the  hard  times  com- 
menced. I  sought  in  vain  for  anything  that  bore  the  marks 
of  immorality,  but  was  both  astonished  and  highly  pleased  at 
my  ill  success.  I  could  see  no  loungers  about  the  streets  nor 
any  drunkards  about  the  taverns.  I  did  not  meet  with  those 
distorted  features  of  ruffians,  or  with  the  ill-bred  and  impu- 
dent. I  heard  not  an  oath  in  the  place,  I  saw  not  a  gloomy 
countenance  ;  all  were  cheerful,  polite,  and  industrious." 

The  following  letter,  purporting  to  be  written  by  an  "  Eng- 


156  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

lishman,"  was  published  about  the  same  time  by  most  of  the 
American  newspapers,  and  gave  some  further  particulars  of 
this  extraordinary  people,  and  the  beautiful  city  which  they 
founded.  It  is  doubtful,  however,  whether  the  writer  were 
quite  such  a  stranger  among  the  Mormons  as  he  was  willing 
to  make  the  world  believe. 

"  Having,  whilst  in  my  native  land,  heard  a  great  deal  said 
respecting  the  people  called  Mormons,  I  thought  it  would  be 
well,  in  the  course  of  my  rambles  (or  tour)  to  visit  their  city, 
hold  converse  with  them,  investigate  their  principles,  and 
judge  for  myself.  I  had  heard,  previous  to  my  leaving  Eng- 
land, some  of  their  missionaries,  among  whom  were  Elders 
Woodruff,  Richards,  and  Young.  I  thought  they  were  set- 
ters forth  of  strange  doctrine,  yet  it  had  an  influence  on  my 
mind,  so  that  I  felt  determined,  as  soon  as  opportunity  served, 
to  hear  both  sides  of  the  question,  as  well  from  the  Missourians 
as  from  any  other  source,  with  an  unprejudiced  mind.  I  had, 
previous  to  this  time,  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church  ; 
but  having  observed  that  there  existed  in  the  breasts  of  those 
people  a  very  strong  prejudice  with  respect  to  the  Mormons,  I 
could  not  give  full  credence  to  their  statements,  neither  could 
I  rest  satisfied  with  the  statement  of  the  Mormons ;  I  thought 
it  was  possible  that  they  might  dissemble  in  England,  but,  as 
a  people,  they  could  not  do  so  at  home,  their  actions  would 
appear  ungarnished  ;  they  would  there  act  out  their  princi- 
ples, and  their  moral  and  religious  influence  would  there  be 
seen  as  clear  as  the  sun  at  noon-day  ;  but,  above  all,  I  wanted 
to  know  something  concerning  the  Missouri  an  persecution  ;  so, 
after  having  overcome  all  opposition  (some  of  my  friends  being 
greatly  alarmed  lest  I  should  become  a  follower  of  Joe,  as 
they  termed  it),  I  took  ship  and  arrived  in  safety  at  New  Or- 
leans. I  then  sailed  up  the  Mississippi,  and  landed  at  St. 
Louis.  As  soon  as  I  had  taken  lodgings,  I  commenced  my  in- 
quiries respecting  the  Mormons.    What  think  you  of  the  Mor- 


DESCRIPTION    OF    NAUVOO.  157 

mons  ?  I  asked.  I  had  scarcely  spoken  before  my  ears  were 
saluted  from  all  quarters,  from  high  and  low,  rich  and  poor. 
The  Mormons  !  The  mean  Mormons  !  The  deluded  Mor- 
mons, &?c.  I  heard  them  calumniated  and  vilified — nay, 
abused  beyond  belief.  They  informed  me  that  their  crimes 
were  of  the  deepest  dye,  that  polygamy  was  not  only  tol- 
erated, but  practised  among  them  ;  that  they  would  rob  and 
plunder,  and  that  blood  and  murder  was  to  be  found  in  their 
skirts ;  that  after  they  had  stripped  the  poor  stranger  of  his 
all,  they  confined  him  in  a  kind  of  dungeon,  underneath  the 
Temple,  where  he  was  fed  upon  bread  and  water,  until  death 
put  a  period  to  his  sufferings — left  to  die  alone  without  a  kind 
friend  by  him  to  perform  the  last  sad  offices,  or  to  see  him 
consigned  to  the  silent  tomb  ;  but  like  a  dog  he  was  left  to 
die,  and  like  a  dog  he  was  buried.  Well,  one  would  have 
thought  that  after  having  heard  all  this  my  courage  must 
have  failed,  and  that  I  would  at  once  have  given  up  the 
search ;  but  I  called  to  mind  the  old  adage — '  Nothing  ven- 
ture, nothing  have.'  History  also  informed  me  of  the  won- 
derful exploits  performed  in  days  of  yore  by  the  chivalrous 
and  noble  knights  of  England,  and  so  I  felt  determined  to  see 
and  behold  the  wonderful  place,  with  the  history  of  which  I 
had  become  acquainted.  I  had,  however,  determined  within 
myself  to  sell  my  liberty  and  life  as  dearly  as  I  could,  in  case 
the  reports  I  had  heard  should  prove  true  ;  but  the  fact  was, 
I  did  not  place  much  confidence  in  their  Jack-the-Giant-Kil- 
ler's  tales,  looking  upon  them  as  being  too  marvellous  to  be 
true. 

"  I  landed  at  Nauvoo  on  a  beautiful  morning  in  the  sum- 
mer season.  I  felt  a  degree  of  superstitious  dread  creep  over 
me  as  I  set  my  foot  upon  the  shore.  Presently  I  discovered 
some  armed  men  advancing  towards  where  I  was,  but  imme- 
diately perceived  that  they  were  peaceable  citizens  of  the 
place,  engaged  in  a  pleasure  party.     As  I  walked  onward,  I 


158  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

felt  myself  comparatively  at  home,  as  I  now  and  again  met 
with  an  Englishman  that  I  once  had  gazed  upon  in  my  native 
land.  I  directed  my  course  towards  the  Temple,  and  after 
having  gazed  upon  and  thoroughly  examined  every  part  of  it, 
I  was  soon  led  to  the  conclusion  that  there  was  not  much 
danger  to  be  apprehended  from  being  confined  in  its  subter- 
ranean vaults  or  dungeons  ;  I  took  up  my  abode  as  convenient 
to  the  edifice  as  I  could,  in  order  that  I  might  be  the  better 
enabled  to  take  cognizance  of  every  circumstance  which  might 
come  under  my  observation ;  I  had  resolved  to  keep  upon  a 
strict  look-out,  and  to  keep  my  head  and  understanding  from 
being  confused,  in  order  that  I  might  be  enabled  to  judge 
correctly,  and  have  a  true  and  correct  report  to  send  to  my 
native  land,  should  I  be  permitted  to  reach  its  shores  in  safety. 
"  The  city  is  of  great  dimensions,  laid  out  in  beautiful  or- 
der ;  the  streets  are  wide,  and  cross  each  other  at  right  angles, 
which  will  add  greatly  to  its  order  and  magnificence  when 
finished.  The  city  rises  on  a  gentle  incline  from  the  rolling 
Mississippi,  and  as  you  stand  near  the  temple,  you  may  gaze 
on  the  picturesque  scenery  around  ;  at  your  side  is  the  temple, 
the  wonder  of  the  world  ;  round  about,  and  beneath,  you  may 
behold  handsome  stores,  large  mansions,  and  fine  cottages,  in- 
terspersed with  varied  scenery  ;  at  the  foot  of  the  town  rolls 
the  noble  Mississippi,  bearing  upon  its  bosom  the  numerous 
steam-ships  which  are  conveying  the  Mormons  from  all  parts 
of  the  world  to  their  home.  I  have  seen  them  landed,  and  I 
have  beheld  them  welcomed  to  their  homes  with  the  tear  of 
joy  and  the  gladdening  smile,  to  share  the  embrace  of  all 
around.  I  have  heard  them  exclaim,  How  happy  to  live 
here  !  how  happy  to  die  here  !  and  then  how  happy  to  rise 
here  in  the  resurrection  !  It  is  their  happiness ;  then  why 
disturb  the  Mormons  so  long  as  they  are  happy  and  peaceable, 
and  are  willing  to  live  so  with  all  men  ?  I  would  say,  '  Let 
them  live.' 


THE    NAUVOO    "MANSION    HOUSE."  159 

"  The  inhabitants  seem  to  be  wonderfully  enterprising  peo- 
ple. The  walls  of  the  temple  have  been  raised  considerably 
this  summer  ;  it  is  calculated,  when  finished,  to  be  the  glory 
of  Illinois.  They  are  endeavoring  to  establish  manufactories 
in  the  city.  They  have  enclosed  large  farms  on  the  prairie 
ground,  on  which  they  have  raised  corn,  wheat,  hemp,  &c. ; 
and  all  this  they  have  accomplished  within  the  short  space 
of  four  years.  I  do  not  believe  that  there  is  another  people 
in  existence  who  could  have  made  such  improvements  in  the 
same  length  of  time,  under  the  same  circumstances.  And  here 
allow  me  to  remark,  that  there  are  some  here  who  have 
lately  emigrated  to  this  place,  who  have  built  themselves 
large  and  convenient  houses  in  the  town  ;  others  on  their  farms 
on  the  prairie,  who,  if  they  had  remained  at  home,  might 
have  continued  to  live  in  rented  houses  all  their  days,  and 
never  once  have  entertained  the  idea  of  building  one  for 
themselves  at  their  own  expense. 

"  Joseph  Smith,  the  Mormon  prophet,  is  a  singular  char- 
acter ;  he  lives  at  the  '  Nauvoo  Mansion  House,'  which  is,  I 
understand,  intended  to  become  a  home  for  the  stranger  and 
traveller  ;  and  I  think,  from  my  own  personal  observation, 
that  it  will  be  deserving  of  the  name.  The  Prophet  is  a 
kind,  cheerful,  sociable  companion.  I  believe  that  he  has 
the  good-will  of  the  community  at  large,  and  that  he  is  ever 
ready  to  stand  by  and  defend  them  in  any  extremity  ;  and  as 
I  saw  the  Prophet  and  his  brother  Hyrum  conversing  together 
one  day,  I  thought  I  beheld  two  of  the  greatest  men  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  I  have  witnessed  the  Mormons  in  their 
assemblies  on  a  Sunday,  and  I  know  not  where  a  similar 
scene  could  be  effected  or  produced.  With  respect  to  the 
teachings  of  the  Prophet,  I  must  say  that  there  are  some 
things  hard  to  be  understood  ;  but  he  invariably  supports 
himself  from  our  good  old  Bible.  Peace  and  harmony  reigns 
in  the  city.     The  drunkard  is  scarcely  ever  seen,  as  in  other 


16Q  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

cities  neither  does  the  awful  imprecation  or  profane  oath 
strike'  upon  your  ear  ;  but,  while  all  is  storm,  and  tempest, 
and  confusion  abroad  respecting  the  Mormons,  all  is  peace 
and  harmony  at  home." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Growth  of  Nauvoo — Joseph  Smith  a  Candidate  foe  the 
Presidency  of  the  United  States — Correspondence  with 
Messrs.  Clay  and  Calhoun — New  Troubles  and  Persecu- 
tions of  the  Sect — The  "  Spiritual  Wife"  Doctrine — A 
Schism  among  the  Mormons — The  Nauvoo  Expositor — 
Disturbances  in  the  City — "  Abatement"  of  the  Nuisance 

of  an  unfriendly  newspaper legal  proceedings  against 

the  Prophet — His  Surrender  to  take  his  Trial — Murder 
of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith  by  the  Mob  in  Carthage 
Gaol. 

For  a  time  after  the  establishment  of  the  Mormons  at 
Nauvoo,  the  "  Prophet"  and  his  followers  were  warned  by 
sad  experience,  and  were  less  haughty,  less  overbearing,  and 
less  presumptuous,  in  their  intercourse  with  the  "  Gentiles." 
But  the  prosperity  which  attended  them  in  Illinois,  and  the 
rapid  growth  of  Nauvoo,  soon  filled  them  again  with  inso- 
lence and  spiritual  pride.  The  dissensions,  which  had  sub- 
sided in  adversity,  were  renewed  in  prosperity.  The  power 
and  influence  of  Joseph  were  too  great  not  to  excite  envy, 
and  Sidney  Rigdon  did  great  mischief  by  introducing  a 
novelty  called  the  "spiritual  wife"  doctrine.  This  caused 
great  scandal,  both  among  the  Mormons  and  among  their 
enemies.  Joseph  himself  appears,  unless  he  has  been  griev- 
ously maligned,  and  unless  the  affidavits  published  by  his  op- 
ponents were  forgeries,  to  have  had  as  great  a  penchant  for  a 
plurality  of  wives  as  Mahomet  himself.  Sidney  Rigdon,  ac- 
cording to  the  same  authority,  outdid  him  in  this  respect,  and 


162  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

had  "  revelations"  of  his  own,  which  he  made  subservient  to 
the  gratification  of  his  passions.  There  was  possibly  some 
exaggeration  in  these  stories,  hut  they  do  not  appear  to  have 
been  wholly  unfounded,  as  far  as  Rigdon,  and  some  others, 
were  concerned. 

Joseph  was  now  at  the  climax  of  his  earthly  glory,  and 
might  have  been  comparatively  happy  even  amid  the  persecu- 
tions of  his  neighbors  the  "  Gentiles,"  had  it  not  been  for 
secessions  from  his  church,  and  the  annoyances  springing  out 
of  the  "  spiritual  wife"  doctrine  of  his  indiscreet  friend  Rig- 
don. The  population  of  Nauvoo  was  almost  wholly  com- 
posed of  Mormons.  The  corporation  over  which  he  presided 
as  mayor,  assumed  a  jurisdiction  independent  of)  and  some- 
times hostile  to,  that  of  the  State  of  Illinois.  They  denied 
validity  to  the  legal  documents  of  the  State,  unless  counter- 
signed by  Joseph,  as  mayor  of  Nauvoo,  and  they  passed  a 
law  to  punish  any  stranger  in  the  city  who  should  use  dis- 
respectful language  in  speaking  of  the  Prophet.  As  time 
■wore  on,  hostility  against  the  sect  increased.  They  waged  a 
constant  warfare  with  the  nine  counties  that  adjoin  Han- 
cock county,  in  which  Nauvoo  is  situated,  and  their  old  feud 
with  Missouri  was  kept  up  by  legal  proceedings,  which,  in  a 
somewhat  vexatious  manner,  were  instituted  against  Smith. 
Lieutenant-Governor  Boggs,  of  Missouri,  was  fired  at  through 
a  window  and  narrowly  escaped  assassination.  He  swore 
that,  to  the  best  of  his  belief,  Joseph  Smith  was  a  party  to 
this  attempt  to  murder  him.  The  legal  proceedings  conse- 
quent upon  this  charge,  tended  to  excite  and  maintain  the 
bitterest  animosity  between  the  "  Saints"  and  the  "  Gentiles." 
But  the  "  spiritual  wife"  doctrine  of  Sidney  Rigdon  was  the 
cause  of  the  greatest  scandal,  and  ultimately  produced  an 
unlooked-for  catastrophe. 

Nevertheless,  the  wealth  and  power  of  the  sect  continued 
to  increase,  their  numbers  being  augmented  from  time  to  time 


JOSEPH    NOMINATED    FOR   PRESIDENT.  163 

by  the  English  immigration  from  Liverpool.  The  Times 
and  Seasons  of  the  15th  of  May  in  that  year,  announced  to 
the  Saints  "that  Nauvoo  was  becoming  a  large  city,  that  a 
number  of  splendid  houses  were  erected,  and  that  three  ships' 
companies  had  arrived  in  the  spring  from  England,  and  the 
Prophet  was  in  good  health  and  spirits."  In  1844,  they 
carried  their  heads  so  high  that  they  put  Joseph  forward  as  a 
candidate  for  the  Presidentship  of  the  United  States,  and  his 
still  faithful  Sidney  Rigdon  as  a  candidate  for  the  Vice- 
Presidentship. 

The  Times  and  Seasons  declared  for  Joseph  Smith  as 
President  in  the  following  address  : — 

"  The  question  arises,  whom  shall  the  Mormons  support  ? — Gen- 
eral Joseph  Smith.  A  man  of  sterling  worth  and  integrity,  and 
of  enlarged  views ;  a  man  who  has  raised  himself  from  the  humblest 
walks  in  life  to  stand  at  the  head  of  a  large,  intelligent,  respectable, 
and  increasing  society,  that  has  spread,  not  only  in  this  land,  but  in 
distant  nations  ;  a  man  whose  talents  and  genius  are  of  an  exalted 
nature,  and  whose  experience  has  rendered  him  every  way  adequate 
to  the  onerous  duty.  Honorable,  fearless,  and  energetic,  he  would 
administer  justice  with  an  impartial  hand,  and  magnify  and  dignify 
the  office  of  chief  magistrate  of  this  land  ;  and  we  feel  assured  that 
there  is  not  a  man  in  the  United  States  more  competent  for  the  task. 

"  One  great  reason  that  we  have  for  pursuing  our  present  course 
is,  that  at  every  election  we  have  been  made  a  political  target  for 
the  filthy  demagogues  in  the  country  to  shoot  their  loathsome  arrows 
at.  And  every  story  has  been  put  in  requisition  to  blast  our  fame, 
from  the  old  fabrication  of  '  walk  on  the  water,'  down  to  '  the  mur- 
der of  ex-Governor  Boggs.'  The  journals  have  teemed  with  this 
filthy  trash,  and  even  men  who  ought  to  have  more  respect  for  them- 
selves, men  contending  for  the  gubernatorial  chair,  have  made  use 
of  terms  so  degrading,  so  mean,  so  humiliating,  that  a  Billingsgate 
fisherwoman  would  have  considered  herself  disgraced  with.  We 
refuse  any  longer  to  be  thus  bedaubed  for  either  party ;  we  tell  all 
such,  to  let  their  filth  flow  in  its  own  legitimate  channel,  for  we  are 
sick  of  the  loathsome  smell. 


164  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

"  Gentlemen,  we  are  not  going  either  to  '  murder  ex-Governor 
Boggs,'  nor  a  Mormon  in  this  State  '  for  not  giving  us  his  money ;' 
nor  are  we  going  to  '  walk  on  the  water  ;'  nor  '  drown  a  woman  ;5 
nor  '  defraud  the  poor  of  their  property  ;'  nor  send  '  destroying  angels 
after  General  Bennett  to  kill  him ;  nor  '  marry  spiritual  wives ;' 
nor  commit  any  other  outrageous  act  this  election,  to  help  any  party 
with  :  you  must  get  some  other  persons  to  perform  these  kind  offices 
for  you  for  the  future.     We  withdraw. 

"  Under  existing  circumstances  we  have  no  other  alternative,  and 
if  we  can  accomplish  our  object,  well ;  if  not,  we  shall  have  the 
satisfaction  of  knowing  that  we  have  acted  conscientiously,  and 
have  used  our  best  judgment ;  and  if  we  have  to  throw  away  our 
votes,  we  had  better  do  so  upon  a  worthy  rather  than  an  unworthy 
individual,  who  might  make  use  of  the  weapon  we  put  in  his  hand 
to  destroy  us  with. 

"  Whatever  may  be  the  opinions  of  men  in  general  in  regard  to 
Mr.  Smith,  we  know  that  he  need  only  to  be  known  to  be  admired, 
and  that  it  is  the  principles  of  honor,  integrity,  patriotism,  and  philan- 
thropy, that  has  elevated  him  in  the  minds  of  his  friends,  and  the 
same  principles,  if  seen  and  known,  would  beget  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  all  the  patriotic  and  virtuous  throughout  the  Union. 

"  Whatever,  therefore,  be  the  opinions  of  other  men,  our  course  is 
marked  out,  and  our  motto  from  henceforth  will  be  General 
Joseph  Smith." 

Joseph  allowed  his  name  to  be  put  forward  without  any 
hope  of  his  success,  but  was  evidently  proud  of  occupying  so 
prominent  a  position  ;  especially  as,  to  use  his  own  expression, 
it  "riled"  his  enemies  in  general,  and  his  old  Missourian  per- 
secutors in  particular.  He  thought  it  incumbent  upon  him, 
under  the  circumstances,  to  imitate  the  example  of  other  great 
political  characters,  and  he  accordingly  issued  an  address  to 
the  American  people,  in  which  he  declared  his  views  on  various 
weighty  matters. 

Joseph  was  of  course  aware  that  his  candidature  was  an  act 
which  had  no  other  meaning  than  to  please  his  disciples ;  and 
he  therefore  wrote  to  Mr.  Clay,  who  was  supposed  to  have  a 


LETTER    OF   MR.    CLAY.  165 

good  chance  of  being  elected  to  the  Presidency,  to  know  what 
course  he  would  pursue  towards  the  Mormons  if  he  were  suc- 
cessful. 

The  correspondence  was  characteristic  of  both  parties.  The 
letter  of  the  "  Prophet"  was  to  the  following  effect  : — 

"  Nauvoo,  Illinois,  Nov.  4th,  1843. 

"  Hon.  H.  Clay, — Dear  Sir, — As  we  understand  you  are  a  can- 
didate for  the  Presidency  at  the  next  election,  and  as  the  Latter-Day 
Saints  (sometimes  called  Mormons,  who  now  constitute  a  numerous 
class  in  the  school  politic  of  this  vast  republic)  have  been  robbed  of  an 
immense  amount  of  property,  and  endured  nameless  sufferings  by  the 
State  of  Missouri,  and  from  her  borders  have  been  driven  by  force  of 
arms,  contrary  to  our  national  covenants,  and  as  in  vain  we  have 
sought  redress  by  all  constitutional,  legal,  and  honorable  means,  in 
her  courts,  her  executive  councils,  and  her  legislative  halls,  and  as 
we  have  petitioned  Congress  to  take  cognizance  of  our  sufferings 
without  effect,  we  have  judged  it  wisdom  to  address  you  this  com- 
munication, and  solicit  an  immediate,  specific,  and  candid  reply  to 
What  will  be  your  rule  of  action  relative  to  us  as  a  people  should  for- 
tune favor  )'our  ascension  to  the  chief  magistracy  ? 

"  Most  respectfully,  Sir,  your  friend,  and  the  friend  of  peace,  good 
order,  and  constitutional  rights. 

"  Joseph  Smith, 
"  In  behalf  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints. 

"  Hon.  H.  Clay,  Ashland,  Kentucky." 

The  reply  of  Mr.  Clay  was  guarded  and  studiously  oour- 

teous : — 

"  Ashland,  Nov.  15th,  1843. 

"  Dear  Sir, — I  have  received  your  letter  in  behalf  of  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints,  stating  that  you  understand 
that  I  am  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency,  and  inquiring  what  would 
be  my  rule  of  action  relative  to  you  as  a  people,  should  I  be  elected. 

"  I  am  profoundly  grateful  for  the  numerous  and  strong  expres- 
sions of  the  people  in  my  behalf,  as  a  candidate  for  President  of  the 
United  States ;  but  I  do  not  so  consider  myself.  That  much  depends 
upon  future  events,  and  upon  my  sense  of  duty. 


166  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS.- 

"  Should  I  be  a  candidate,  I  can  enter  into  no  engagements,  make 
no  promises,  give  no  pledges,  to  any  particular  portion  of  the  people 
of  the  United  States.  If  I  ever  enter  into  that  high  office,  I  must  go 
into  it  free  and  unfettered,  with  no  guarantees  but  such  as  are  to  be 
drawn  from  my  whole  life,  character,  and  conduct. 

"  It  is  not  inconsistent  with  this  declaration  to  say,  that  I  have 
viewed  with  a  lively  interest  the  progress  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints ; 
that  I  have  sympathized  in  their  sufferings  under  injustice,  as  it  ap- 
peared to  me,  which  has  been  inflicted  upon  them  ;  and  that  I  think, 
in  common  with  all  other  religious  communities,  they  ought  to  enjoy 
the  security  and  the  protection  of  the  constitution  and  the  laws. 
"  I  am,  with  great  respect, 

"  Your  Friend  and  obedient  Servant, 

"  H.  Clay." 

"  Joseph  Smith,  Esq." 

Joseph  was  by  no  means  satisfied  with  Mr.  Clay's  reply  ; 
and  after  taking  nearly  six  months  to  reflect,  he  wrote  a  long 
and  angry  rejoinder,  in  which  he  insinuated  that  Mr.  Clay 
was  a  blackleg  in  politics,  and  used  many  other  phrases  by  no 
means  complimentary. 

Joseph,  in  order  to  know  the  opinions  of  both  candidates, 
sent  to  Mr.  Calhoun  a  letter  precisely  similar  to  that  which 
he  had  addressed  to  Mr.  Clay.  He  received  the  following 
reply : — 

"  Fort  Hill,  December  2d,  1843. 

"  Sir, — You  ask  me  what  would  be  my  rule  of  action  relative  to 
the  Mormons,  or  Latter-Day  Saints,  should  I  be  elected  President ; 
to  which  I  answer,  that  if  I  should  be  elected,  I  would  strive  to  ad- 
minister the  government  according  to  the  constitution  and  the  laws 
of  the  Union ;  and  that,  as  they  make  no  distinction  between  citizens 
of  different  religious  creeds,  I  should  make  none.  As  far  as  it  de- 
pends on  the  executive  department,  all  should  have  the  full  benefit 
of  both,  and  none  should  be  exempt  from  their  operation. 

"  But,  as  you  refer  to  the  case  of  Missouri,  candor  compels  me  to 
tepeat  what  I  said  to  you  at  Washington,  that,  according  to  my 


ARREST    OF    THE    "  PROPHET."  167 

views,  the  case  does  not  come  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  federal 
government,  which  is  one  of  limited  and  specific  powers. 
"  With  respect,  I  am,  &c. 

"  J.  C.  Calhoun." 
"  Mr.  Joseph  Smith." 

But  his  correspondence  with  these  and  other  persons  formed 
only  a  small  portion  of  the  multifarious  business  that  occupied 
the  Prophet's  attention  at  this  period  of  his  life.  His  history 
during  the  first  five  months  of  the  year  1844 — powerful  as  he 
•was,  and  absolute  lord,  spiritual  and  temporal,  of  the  little 
community  of  Nauvoo,  a  state  within  a  state,  and  governed 
by  its  own  peculiar  laws — had  its  dark  as  well  as  its  bright 
side.  There  was  a  drop  of  gall  and  bitterness  in  the  cup  of 
his  prosperity.  The  persecution  of  his  old  enemies  in  Mis- 
souri, and  of  new  enemies  quite  as  bitter  and  unrelenting  in 
his  new  home  in  Illinois,  never  for  a  moment  relaxed. 

Shortly  prior  to  the  announcement  of  his  name  as  a  candi- 
date for  the  Presidency,  he  was  on  a  visit  with  his  family  at 
a  place  called  Dixon  in  Illinois.  An  action  had  previously 
been  brought  against  him  by  some  of  the  people  of  Jackson 
County,  in  Missouri,  who  bad  suffered  a  loss  of  property  in  the 
disturbances  that  preceded  the  expulsion  of  the  Mormons  from 
that  State.  As  Dixon  was  on  the  frontier  b2tween  Missouri 
and  Illinois,  two  sheriff's  officers  of  Missouri,  named  Reynolds 
and  Wilson,  resolved  to  seize  the  Prophet,  and  carry  him  for 
trial  before  the  Missouri  courts.  They  disguised  themselves 
for  that  purpose,  and  knocking  at  night  at  the  farm-house 
where  he  was  residing,  stated  that  they  were  Mormon  elders 
from  Nauvoo,  desirous  of  an  interview  with  the  Prophet. 
They  were  incautiously  admitted  to  the  passage,  when  they 
immediately  rushed  upon  Joseph,  each  with  a  loaded  pistol  in 
his  hand,  and  swore  "  to  shoot  him  dead"  if  he  offered  the 
slightest  resistance.  On  his  asking  for  their  authority  to  arrest 
him,  they  showed  their  pistols,  and  said  "  those  were  their 


168  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

authorities."  They  refused  to  let  him  go  into  the  room  to  bid 
farewell  to  his  family,  or  even  to  get  his  hat,  and  forced  him 
into  a  wagon.  They  struck  him  over  the  head  and  back  with 
the  butt  ends  of  their  pistols,  and,  as  he  alleged,  "  otherwise 
abused,  insulted,  and  threatened  him  in  the  cruellest  manner." 
He  was  retained  in  custody  by  these  men  for  several  weeks, 
but  ultimately  obtained  his  release  on  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus, 
and  was  sent  back  to  Illinois.  He  thereupon  commenced  an 
action  against  them  for  false  imprisonment,  and  for  using  un- 
necessary force  and  violence  towards  him.  Though  the  case 
was  clearly  proved,  he  only  obtained  the  small  damages  of 
forty  dollars ;  and  from  first  to  last  had  to  pay  upwards  of 
three  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  for  legal  expenses. 

The  unfounded  and  vindictive  accusation  brought  against 
him  by  ex-Governor  Boggs  was  productive  of  still  greater  an- 
noyance, and  the  authorities,  legal  and  military,  of  Missouri, 
instigated  by  the  people  of  Jackson  County,  demanded  that 
the  State  of  Illinois  should  deliver  him  up  to  take  his  trial  on 
this  charge  before  a  Missouri  jury  !  A  requisition  was  actually 
drawn  up  to  this  effect.  A  letter  from  J.  Arlington  Bennett, 
counsellor-at-law,  and  who  appears .  to  be  no  other  than  our 
old  friend  "  General"  Bennett,  the  "  right-hand  man,"  was 
published  in  the  New  York  papers  at  this  time.  It  strongly 
advised  the  authorities  of  Missouri  to  leave  Joseph  Smith 
alone  ;  and  predicted,  in  a  remarkable  manner,  the  conse- 
quences that  would  follow  the  continued  persecution  of  the 
Prophet  and  his  people — the  death  of  Joseph — the  increase  of 
the  sect — and  their  establishment  in  a  free  and  powerful  State 
of  their  own  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

Said  the  writer : 

"  I  do  not  believe  that  Joseph  Smith  has  done  anything  to  injure 
ex-Governor  Boggs  of  Missouri.  The  Governor,  no  doubt  under 
strong  feelings,  may  have  thought  and  believed  that  Smith  had  pre- 
concerted the  plan  for  his  assassination ;  but  there  is  no  legal  evi- 


A    PREDICTION.  169 

deuce  whatever  of  that  fact.  None  by  which  an  unprejudiced  jury 
would  convict  any  man ;— yet  to  send  this  man  into  Missouri,  under 
the  present  requisition,  would  be  an  act  of  great  injustice,  and  his 
ruin  would  be  certain.  How  could  any  man,  against  whom  there 
is  a  bitter  religious  prejudice,  escape  ruin,  being  in  the  circumstan- 
ces of  Smith  ?  Look  at  the  history  of  past  ages— see  the  force  of 
fanaticism  and  bigotry  in  bringing  to  the  stake  some  of  the  best  of 
men ;  and  in  all  these  cases  the  persecutors  had  their  pretexts,  as 
well  as  in  the  case  of  the  Mormon  chief.  Nothing  follows  its  vic- 
tim with  such  deadly  aim  as  religious  zeal,  and  therefore  nothing 
should  be  so  much  guarded  against  by  the  civil  power. 

"  Smith,  I  conceive,  has  just  as  good  a  right  to  establish  a  church, 
if  he  can  do  it,  as  Luther,  Calvin,  Wesley,  Fox,  or  even  King  Henry 
the  Eighth.  All  these  chiefs  in  religion  had  their  opponents,  and 
their  people  their  persecutors.  Henry  the  Eighth  was  excommuni- 
cated, body  and  bones,  soul  and  all,  by  his  holiness  the  Pope ;  still 
the  Church  of  England  has  lived  as  well  as  all  the  other  sects.  Just 
so  will  it  be  with  the  Mormons :  they  may  kill  one  prophet,  and  con- 
fine in  chains  half  his  followers,  but  another  will  take  his  place,  and 
the  Mormons  will  still  go  a-head. 

"  One  of  their  elders  said  to  me,  when  conversing  on  this  subject, 
that  they  were  like  a  mustard  plant, '  If  you  don't  disturb,  the  seed 
will  fall  and  multiply ;  and  if  you  kick  it  about,  you  only  give  the 
seed  more  soil,  and  it  will  multiply  the  more.'  Undertake  to  con- 
vince them  that  they  are  wrong,  and  that  Smith  is  an  impostor,  and 
the  answer  is,  laying  the  hand  on  the  heart, '  I  know  in  mine  own 
soul  that  it  is  true,  and  want  no  better  evidence.  I  feel  happy  in  my 
faith,  and  why  should  I  be  disturbed  ?'  Now,  I  cannot  see  but  what 
this  is  the  sentiment  that  governs  all  religiously-disposed  persons, 
their  object  being  heaven  and  happiness,  no  matter  what  their  church 
or  their  creed.  They,  therefore,  cannot  be  put  down  while  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States  offers  them  protection  in  common  with 
all  other  sects,  and  while  they  believe  that  their  eternal  salvation  is 
at  stake.  From  what  I  know  of  the  people,  I  fully  believe  that  all 
the  really  sincere  Mormons  would  die,  sooner  than  abandon  their 
faith  and  religion. 

"  General  J.  A.  Bennett  has  stated  that,  to  conquer  the  Mormon 
legion,  it  would  require  five  to  one  against  them,  all  things  taken 


170  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

into  consideration,  and  that  they  will  die  to  a  man  sooner  than  give 
up  their  Prophet. 

"  Now,  is  the  arrest  of  this  man  worth  such  a  sacrifice  of  life  as 
must  necessarily  follow  an  open  war  with  his  people  ?  The  loss  of 
from  one  to  three  thousand  lives  will  no  doubt  follow  in  an  attempt 
to  accomplish  an  object  not,  in  the  end,  worth  a  button. 

"  Persecute  them,  and  you  are  sure  to  multiply  them.  This  is 
fully  proved  since  the  Missouri  persecution,  as,  since  that  affair, 
they  have  increased  one  hundred  fold. 

"  It  is  the  best  policy,  both  of  Missouri  and  Illinois,  to  let  them 
alone ;  for  if  they  are  driven  farther  west  they  may  set  up  an  inde- 
pendent government,  under  which  they  can  worship  the  Almighty  as 
may  suit  their  taste.  Indeed,  I  would  recommend  to  the  Prophet  to 
pull  up  stakes,  and  take  possession  of  the  Oregon  territory  in  his 
own  right,  and  establish  an  independent  empire.  In  one  hundred 
years  from  this  time,  no  nation  on  earth  could  conquer  such  a 
people.  Let  not  the  history  of  David  be  forgotten.  If  the  Prophet 
Joseph  would  do  this,  millions  would  flock  to  his  standard  and  join 
his  cause.  He  could  then  make  his  own  laws  by  the  voice  of  reve- 
lation, and  have  them  executed  like  the  act  of  one  man." 

In  addition  to  the  troubles  and  difficulties  springing  from  the 
persecution  of  his  Missourian  enemies,  Joseph  was  exposed  to 
vexations  and  dangers  of  a  kind  even  more  exasperating.  He 
might,  from  the  secure  fortress  of  Nauvoo,  and  in  firm  reli- 
ance upon  the  legally  constituted  tribunals  of  the  United 
States,  have  set  at  defiance  the  malice  of  those  who  perse- 
cuted him  upon  religious  grounds,  or  found  a  sufficient  an- 
swer to  those  who,  having  suffered  loss,  desired  to  make  him 
generally  responsible  for  all  the  acts  committed  by  his  follow- 
ers at  a  time  which  was  actually  one  of  civil  warfare  ;  but 
when,  in  addition  to  these  troubles,  he  had  to  defend  himself 
against  false  friends  and  domestic  traitors  in  his  own  church 
and  city,  the  accumulation  of  perplexity  and  sorrow  was 
great  indeed.  Joseph,  at  this  time,  appears  to  have  been 
quit^  as  convinced  of  the  divinity  of  his  mission  as  the  most 


THE    "SPIRITUAL   WIFE"    DOCTRINE.  1*71 

credulous  of  his  disciples.  He  dreamed  dreams,  and  he  saw 
visions  ;  he  imagined  that  what  he  spoke  was  spoken  by  the 
Almighty,  and  that  in  him  was  all  authority  in  matters  of  re- 
ligion. But  there  were  men  in  the  church  who  despised 
Joseph  Smith  as  an  impostor  while  pretending  to  believe  in 
him,  knaves  who  used  Mormonism  for  their  own  purposes — 
either  of  sensuality  or  ambition — and  who  led  him  by  their 
extravagant  licentiousness  into  continual  difficulty.  Many  of* 
these  persons  pretended  to  have  "  revelations"  quite  as  valid 
as  those  of  Joseph,  by  which  they  were  permitted  to  have  as 
many  wives  as  the  patriarchs  of  old,  provided  they  could 
afford  to  maintain  them.  Joseph  would  not  tolerate  this  scan- 
dal, and  every  offender  was  forthwith  excommunicated,  and 
publicly  declared  to  be  cut  off  from  the  church.  One  man 
of  this  kind,  named  Higbee,  gave  him  more  trouble  than  all 
the  rest,  and  involved  him  in  vexatious  law  proceedings, 
which  lasted  for  upwards  of  two  years,  and  were  only  brought 
to  a  close  in  May,  1844.  Higbee,  it  appears,  had  been  pub- 
licly accused  by  Joseph  of  having  seduced  several  women, 
and  was  cut  off  from  the  Mormon  church  in  consequence. 
Whether  the  charge  were  or  were  not  true,  is  now  difficult, 
and  perhaps  not  important,  to  discover  ;  but  Higbee  sued 
Joseph  before  the  Municipal  Court  of  Nauvoo  for  slander  and 
defamation,  and  laid  his  damages  at  five  thousand  dollars. 
At  his  suit,  Joseph  was  arrested,  and  the  case  came  before 
the  Municipal  Court,  on  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  on  the  6th 
of  May.  The  aldermen  of  the  city,  all  of  them  Mormons,  sat 
on  the  bench  to  hear  the  case,  and  Sidney  Rigdon  acted  as 
counsel  for  the  Prophet.  At  this  trial,  several  disclosures 
were  made,  which  went  to  prove  a  most  deplorable  laxity  of 
morals  on  the  part  of  men  who  had  once  been  members  and 
office-bearers  of  the  church,  and  who  had  been  "  cut  off  for 
their  adulteries,  and  handed  over  to  Satan,"  by  the  Prophet 
and  the  other  heads  of  the  sect.    The  court,  after  hearing  the 


172  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

evidence  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith,  and  others,  decreed, 
first,  that  Joseph  Smith  should  be  discharged  from  arrest  on 
the  ground  of  the  illegality  of  the  writ,  and  secondly,  that 
Higbee's  conduct  having  been  fully  shown  to  be  infamous, 
and  the  suit  to  have  been  instituted  through  malice,  private 
pique,  and  corruption,  he  was  not  entitled  to  his  costs. 

But  Higbee  was  not  the  only  person  who  had  been  expelled 
Jrom  the  church  who  was  concerned  in  these  proceedings. 
The  libertines  and  seducers  of  Nauvoo,  foiled  before  the  Mu- 
nicipal Court — of  which  Joseph  himself  as  mayor  of  Nauvoo, 
and  the  leading  "  Saints"  as  aldermen  of  the  city,  were  sever- 
ally members  ex  officio — tried  other  means  to  excite  a  schism, 
and  adopted  the  bold  course  of  accusing  Joseph  himself  of  the 
very  crimes  with  which  he  had  charged  Higbee.  Among 
other  stories  which  were  circulated  by  this  party  was  one 
which  obtained  great  currency,  and  led  to  important  and  un- 
foreseen results.  It  was  asserted  that  one  Dr.  Foster,  a 
Mormon,  and  member  of  the  Danite  band,  or  society  of  the 
"  Destroying  Angels,"  organized  in  Missouri  for  the  defence 
of  the  "  Saints,"  having  been  absent  from  home,  had  suddenly 
returned  without  giving  notice  to  his  wife,  and  found  the  car- 
riage of  the  Prophet  at  the  door.  Having  been  cut  off  from 
the  church,  and  having,  it  is  alleged,  had  previous  suspicions 
of  an  improper  intercourse  between  Joseph  and  his  wife,  he 
questioned  Mrs.  Foster  as  soon  as  Smith  took  his  departure, 
when  the  lady  confessed  that  Joseph  had  been  endeavoring  to 
persuade  her  to  become  his  "  spiritual  wife."  The  Mormons 
then,  and  ever  since,  have  indignantly  denied  the  truth  of 
this  particular  charge  ;  and  of  all  the  charges  brought  against 
Joseph  as  regards  a  plurality  of  wives — and  in  especial  refer- 
ence to  the  "  spiritual  wife"  doctrine — they  allege  what  ap- 
pears from  his  whole  career  to  be  most  probable,  that  he  was 
at  all  times  most  anxious  to  preserve  the  church  free  from 
taint,  and  to  exclude  adulterers,  seducers,  and  persons  of  im- 


THE    "SPIRITUAL   WIFE"    DOCTRINE.  1*73 

moral  lives.  But  as  the  consequences  of  this  charge  against 
Joseph  were  so  momentous  to  him  and  to  the  whole  Mormon 
people,  and  as  Dr.  Foster  probably  believed  that  there  was 
some  foundation  for  his  suspicions,  it  is  necessary  that  the 
statements  of  both  sides  should  be  given.  An  affidavit  was 
put  in  upon  the  trial  of  Hi^bee's  case,  by  a  person  of  the 
name  of  Eaton,  to  the  effect,  that  Dr.  Foster  had  stated  "  that 
during  his  absence  from  home,  a  carriage  drove  up  to  his 
door ;  that  a  person  alighted  ;  that  the  carriage  then  drove 
off  again ;  that  this  person  went  into  the  house  and  told  Mrs. 
Foster  a  great  many  things  to  prejudice  her  mind  against  her 
husband  ;  that  he  finally  introduced  and  preached  the  '  spirit- 
ual wife'  doctrine  to  her ;  that  he  made  an  attempt  to  seduce 
her  ;  that  he  then  sat  down  to  dine  with  Mrs.  Foster,  and 
blessed  the  victuals;  that  while  so  doing,  Dr.  Foster  suddenly 
returned  ;  that  this  person  rose  up  and  said,  '  How  d'ye  do  V 
in  a  very  polite  manner  ;  that  he  soon  afterwards  went 
away ;  that  Dr.  Foster  then  questioned  his  wife  as  to  what 
passed,  but  she  refused  to  tell ;  that  he  then  drew  a  pistol  and 
threatened  to  shoot  her,  but  that  she  still  refused  ;  that  he 
then  gave  her  a  double-barrelled  pistol,  and  told  her  to  defend 
herself;  that  she  then  fainted  away  through  fear  and  excite- 
ment, and  that  when  she  came  to  herself  again,  she  had  con- 
fessed that  the  person  alluded  to  had  endeavored  to  convert 
her  to  the  '  spiritual  wife'  doctrine,  and  to  seduce  her."  It 
was  evident  that  Joseph  Smith  was  the  person  signified,  but 
not  named  in  this  document.  It  was  treated  by  the  Muni- 
cipal Court  as  false  and  scandalous.  Higbee  described  to  the 
same  witness  his  own  ideas  of  the  "  spiritual  wife"  system. 
He  said  that  "  some  of  the  elders  had  ten  or  twelve  spiritual 
wives  a-piece  ;  that  they  entered  the  names  of  the  women  in 
a  large  book  which  was  kept  sealed  at  Hyrum  Smith's  ;  and 
that  when  an  elder  or  other  Mormon  wanted  to  seduce  a 
woman,  he  led  her  to  see  this  book  opened,  where,  if  her 


174  HISTORY   OF   THE    MORMONS. 

name  was  found  entered,  she  was  told  that  it  was  the  will 
of  heaven  that  she  should  submit,  and  she  submitted  accord- 
ingly." It  is  utterly  incredible  that  Joseph  Smith,  who, 
great  impostor  as  he  was,  never  missed  an  opportunity  to  de- 
nounce seducers  and  adulterers  as  unfit  to  enter  into  his 
church,  should  have  been  concerned  directly  or  indirectly  in 
proceedings  like  these,  though  it  is  scarcely  surprising  that 
when  such  stories  had  been  circulated  by  men  whom  the 
"  Prophet"  had  thwarted  or  reprimanded,  there  should  have 
been  found  some  persons  willing  to  credit  them. 

Dr.  Foster,  who  may  or  Avho  may  not  have  fancied  he  had 
real  grounds  of  suspicion  against  Joseph,  lent  himself  to  the 
designs  of  the  excommunicated  party,  and,  in  conjunction  with 
a  person  named  Law,  commenced  the  publication,  in  the  city 
of  Nauvoo  itself,  of  a  newspaper  called  the  Expositor.  In 
the  first  number  they  printed  the  affidavits  of  sixteen  women, 
to  the  effect  that  Joseph  Smith,  Sidney  R,igdon,  and  others, 
had  endeavored  to  convert  them  to  the  "  spiritual  wife"  doc- 
trine, and  to  seduce  them  under  the  plea  of  having  had  espe- 
cial permission  from  Heaven.  This  was  somewhat  too  daring, 
and  Joseph  Smith,  in  his  capacity  of  Mayor  of  Nauvoo,  im- 
mediately summoned  the  aldermen,  councillors,  and  other 
members  of  the  corporation  to  consider  the  publication.  They 
unanimously  declared  it  to  be  a  public  nuisance,  and  ordered 
the  city  marshal  to  "  abate  it  forthwith."  A  body  of  the 
prophet's  adherents,  to  the  number  of  two  hundred  and  up- 
wards, sallied  forth  in  obedience  to  this  order,  and  proceeding 
to  the  office  of  the  Expositor,  speedily  razed  it  to  the  ground. 
They  then  destroyed  the  presses,  and  made  a  bonfire  of  the 
papers  and  furniture.  Foster  and  Law  fled  for  their  lives, 
and  took  refuge  in  Carthage,  where  they  applied  for  a  war- 
rant against  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith,  and  sixteen  other 
persons  known  to  have  aided  and  abetted  in  putting  down  the 
Expositor  office.     The  warrant  was  granted  and  served  upon 


THE 


IN    PRISON.  1*75 


the  Mayor  of  Nauvoo.  He  refused  to  acknowledge  its  valid- 
ity, and  the  constable  who  served  it  was  marched  out  of  Nau- 
voo  by  the  city  marshal.  The  authorities  of  the  county  could 
not  suffer  this  affront  to  the  law ;  and  the  militia  were  order- 
ed out  to  support  the  county  officer  in  arresting  the  two  Smiths 
and  their  sixteen  confederates.  The  Mormons  in  Nauvoo 
fortified  the  city,  and  determined  to  fight  to  the  last  extrem- 
ity in  support  of  the  "  Prophet."  The  brethren  from  all  parts 
of  the  country  hastened  to  give  assistance.  Illinois,  like  Mis- 
souri, divided  itself  into  two  great  camps,  the  Mormons  and 
the  anti-Mormons,  and  the  circumstances  were  so  menacing 
that  Mr.  Ford,  the  Governor,  took  the  field  in  person.  In  a 
proclamation  to  the  people  of  Illinois,  he  stated  that  he  had 
discovered  that  nothing  but  the  utter  destruction  of  the  city 
of  Nauvoo  would  satisfy  the  militia  and  troops  under  his  com- 
mand, and  that  if  he  marched  into  the  city  pretexts  would 
not  be  wanting  on  their  part  for  the  commencement  of 
slaughter.  Anxious  to  spare  the  effusion  of  blood,  he  called 
upon  the  two  Smiths  to  surrender  peaceably,  pledging  his 
word  and  the  honor  of  the  State,  that  they  should  be  protect- 
ed. He  also  called  upon  the  Mormons  to  surrender  their 
public  arms,  and  upon  the  Nauvoo  legion  to  submit  to  the 
command  of  a  State  officer.  The  Mormons  agreed  to  the 
terms,  and  Joseph  and  his  brother  surrendered  to  take  their 
trial  for  the  riot,  and  for  the  destruction  of  the  office  of  the 
Exjjositor.  The  "  Prophet"  had  a  presentiment  of  evil,  and 
said,  as  be  surrendered,  "  I  am  going  like  a  lamb  to  the 
slaughter,  but  I  am  calm  as  a  summer's  morning  ;  I  have  a 
conscience  void  of  offence,  and  shall  die  innocent."  While 
in  prison  at  Carthage,  another  writ  was  served  upon  him  and 
Hyrum  for  high  treason  against  the  State  of  Illinois,  on  an  in- 
formation in  which  the  principal  witness  was  the  Higbee  al- 
ready mentioned,  and  whose  hostility  to  Joseph  had  not  ended 
at  the  trial  before  the  Court  of  Nauvoo.    As  the  mob  breathed 


176  HISTORY   OF   THE    MORMONS. 

vengeance  against  both  prisoners,  and  as  the  militia  very  in- 
decently sided  with  the  people,  and  were  not  to  be  depended 
on  in  case  of  any  violence  being  offered  to  the  two  Smiths,  the 
Governor  was  requested  by  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo  and  other 
Mormons  to  set  a  guard  over  the  gaol.  On  the  morning  of 
the  26th  of  June,  1844,  the  Governor  visited  the  prisoners, 
and  pledged  his  word  to  protect  them  against  the  threatened 
violence.  It  now  began  to  be  rumored  among  the  mob  that 
there  would  be  no  case  against  the  Smiths  on  either  of  the 
charges  brought  against  them,  and  that  the  Governor  was 
anxious  they  should  escape.  A  band  of  ruffians  accordingly 
resolved  that  as  "  law  could  not  reach  them,  powder  and  shot 
should."  About  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  the  27th,  the 
small  guard  stationed  at  the  gaol  was  overpowered  by  a  band 
of  nearly  two  hundred  men,  with  blackened  faces,  who  rushed 
into  the  prison  where  the  unfortunate  men  were  confined. 
They  were  at  the  time  in  consultation  with  two  of  their 
friends.  The  mob  fired  upon  the  whole  four.  Hyrum  was 
shot  first,  and  fell  immediately,  exclaiming,  "  I  am  a  dead 
man."  Joseph  endeavored  to  leap  from  the  window,  and  was 
shot  in  the  attempt,  exclaiming,  "  0  Lord,  my  God."  They 
were  both  shot  after  they  were  dead,  each  receiving  four  balls. 
John  Taylor,  one  of  the  two  Mormons  in  the  room,  was  seri- 
ously wounded,  but  afterwards  recovered. 

The  following  account  of  this  cruel  murder  was  given  by 
Mr.  Willard  Richards,  the  second  of  the  two  Mormons  who 
were  present  with  Joseph  and  Hyrum  in  the  prison,  when  the 
mob  broke  in  upon.  them.  It  appeared  in  the  Times  and 
Seasons  of  the  following  month,  under  the  title  of  "  Two  min- 
utes in  Gaol." 

"  Possibly  the  following  events  occupied  near  three  minutes,  but 
1  think  only  about  two,  and  have  penned  them  for  the  gratification 
of  many  friends : 


ASSASSINATION    OF   JOSEPH    AND    HTKUM    SMITH.  177 

"  Carthage,  June  21th,  1844. 
"  A  shower  of  musket-balls  were  thrown  up  the  stairway  against 
the  door  of  the  prison  in  the  second  story,  followed  by  many  rapid 
footsteps.     While  General  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith,  Mr.  Taylor, 
and  myself,  who  were  in  the  front  chamber,  closed  the  door  of  our 
room  against  the  entry  at  the  head  of  the  stairs,  and  placed  ourselves 
against  it,  there  being  no  lock  on  the  door,  and  no  ketch  that  was 
useable ;  the  door  is  a  common  panel— and  as  soon  as  we  heard 
the  feet  at  the  stairs'  head,  a  ball  was  sent  through  the  door,  which 
passed  between  us,  and  showed  that  our  enemies  were  desperadoes, 
and  we  must  change  our  position.     General  Joseph  Smith,  Mr.  Tay- 
lor, and  myself,  sprang  back  to  the  front  part  of  the  room,  and  Gen- 
eral Hyrum  Smith  retreated  two  thirds  across  the  chamber,  and  di- 
rectly in  front  of  and  facing  the  door.     A  ball  was  sent  through  the 
door,  which  hit  Hyrum  on  the  side  of  the  nose,  when  he  fell  back- 
wards, extended  at  length,  without  moving  his  feet.     From  the  holes 
in  his  vest  (the  day  was  warm,  and  no  one  had  a  coat  on  but  my- 
self), pantaloons,  drawers,  and  shirt,  it  appears  evident  that  a  ball 
must  have  been  thrown  from  without,  through  the  window,  which 
entered  his  back  on  the  right  side,  and  passing  through,  lodged  against 
his  watcH,  which  was  in  his  right  vest  pocket,  completely  pulverizing 
the  crystal  and  face,  tearing  off  the  hands,  and  mashing  the  whole 
body  of  the  watch,  at  the  same  instant  the  ball  from  the  door  en- 
tered his  nose.     As  he  struck  the  floor  he  exclaimed  emphatically, 
'  Vm  a  dead  man.''    Joseph  looked  towards  him;  and  responded, '  O 
dear  Brother  Hyrum  /'  and  opening  the  door  two  or  three  inches  with 
his  left  hand,  discharged  one  barrel  of  a  six  shooter  (pistol)  at  ran- 
dom in  the  entry  from  whence  a  ball  grazed  Hyrum's  breast,  and  en- 
tering his  throat,  passed  into  his   head,  while  other  muskets  were 
aimed  at  him,  and  some  balls  hit  him.     Joseph  continued  snapping 
his  revolver,  round  the  casing  of  the  door  into  the  space  as  before, 
three  barrels  of  which  missed  fire,  while  Mr.  Taylor,  with  a  walking- 
stick,  stood  by  his  side  and  knocked  down  the  bayonets  and  muskets 
which  were  constantly  discharging  through  the  doorway,  while  I 
stood  by  him,  ready  to  lend  any  assistance,  with  another  stick,  but 
could  not  come  within  striking  distance  without  going  directly  before 
the  muzzles  of  the  guns.     When  the  revolver  failed  we  had  no  more 
fire-arms,  and  expecting  an  immediate  rush  of  the  mob,  and  the  door- 

12 


178  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

way  full  of  muskets — half-way  in  the  room,  and  no  hope  but  instant 
death  from  within,  Mr.  Taylor  rushed  into  the  window,which  is  some 
fifteen  or  twenty  feet  from  the  ground.  When  his  body  was  nearly 
on  a  balance,  a  ball  from  the  door  within  entered  his  leg,  and  a  ball 
from  without  struck  his  watch,  a  patent  lever,  in  his  vest  pocket, 
near  the  left  breast,  and  smashed  it  in '  pie,'  leaving  the  hands  stand- 
ing at  5  o'clock,  16  minutes,  and  26  seconds — the  force  of  which 
ball  threw  him  back  on  the  floor,  and  he  rolled  under  the  bed  which 
stood  by  his  side,  where  he  lay  motionless,  the  mob  from  the  door 
continuing  to  fire  upon  him,  cutting  away  a  piece  of  flesh  from  his 
left  hip  as  large  as  a  man's  hand,  and  were  hindered  only  by  my 
knocking  down  their  muzzles  with  a  stick ;  while  they  continued  to 
reach  their  guns  into  the  room,  probably  left-handed,  and  aimed  their 
discharge  so  far  around  as  almost  to  reach  us  in  the  corner  of  the 
room  to  where  we  retreated  and  dodged,  and  then  I  re-commenced 
the  attack  with  my  stick  again.  Joseph  attempted,  as  the  last  resort, 
to  leap  the  same  window  from  whence  Mr.  Taylor  fell,  when  two 
balls  pierced  him  from  the  door,  and  one  entered  his  right  breast  from 
without,  and  he  fell  outward  exclaiming,  '  O  Lord,  my  GodP  As 
his  feet  went  out  of  the  window  my  head  went  in,  the  balls  whistling 
all  around.  He  fell  on  his  left  side  a  dead  man.  At  this  instant  the 
cry  was  raised,  '  He's  leaped  the  loindow?  and  the  mob  on  the  stairs 
and  in  the  entry  ran  out.  I  withdrew  from  the  window,  thinking  it 
of  no  use  to  leap  out  on  a  hundred  bayonets,  then  around  General 
Smith's  body.  Not  satisfied  with  this,  I  again  reached  my  head  out 
of  the  window,  and  watched  some  seconds,  to  see  if  there  were  any 
signs  of  life,  regardless  of  my  own,  determined  to  see  the  end  of  him 
I  loved.  Being  fully  satisfied  that  he  was  dead,  with  a  hundred 
men  near  the  body,  and  more  coming  round  the  corner  of  the  gaol, 
and  expecting  a  return  to  our  room,  I  rushed  towards  the  prison- 
door,  at  the  head  of  the  stairs,  and  through  the  entry  from  whence 
the  firing  had  proceeded,  to  learn  if  the  doors  into  the  prison  were 
open.  When  near  the  entry,  Mr.  Taylor  called  out, '  Take  me'  I 
pressed  my  way  until  I  found  all  doors  unbarred ;  returning  instantly, 
caught  Mr.  Taylor  under  my  arm,  and  rushed  by  the  stairs  into  the 
dungeon,  or  inner  prison,  stretched  him  on  the  floor,  and  covered 
him  with  a  bed,  in  such  a  manner  as  not  likely  to  be  perceived,  ex- 
pecting an  immediate  return  of  the  mob.     I  said  to  Mr.  Taylor, 


ASSASSINATION    OF   JOSEPH    AND    HYRUM   SMITH.  179 

*  This  is  a  hard  case  to  lay  you  on  the  floor ;  but  if  your  wounds 
are  not  fatal  I  want  you  to  live  to  tell  the  story,'  I  expected  to  be 
shot  the  next  moment,  and  stood  before  the  door  awaiting  the  onset. 

"  Willard  Richards." 

An  eye-witness  of  the  murder,  named  Daniels,  who  was 
connected  with  neither  the  Mormons  nor  the  mob,  gave  some 
additional  particulars  of  the  outrage  in  a  small  work  publish- 
ed by  himself,  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  in  1844.     Daniels,  it 
seems,  was  overtaken  on  the  prairies  on  the  afternoon  of  the  mur- 
der by  a  band  of  settlers,  all  more  or  less  disguised  with  black- 
ened faces,  &c,  who  communicated  to  him  the  object  of  their 
gathering,  which  was,  to  force  the  gaol  at  Carthage,  and  to 
assassinate  Smith  and  his  fellow-prisoners.     They  appealed  to 
him  to  join  the  expedition  ;  and  on  his  refusal,  compelled  him, 
by  threats,  to  accompany  them  to   the  scene,  that  he  might 
not,  by  giving  an  alarm,  betray  their  object  to  the  authorities. 
His  impression  was,  that  when  Smith  fell  from  the  window 
he  was  not  dead,  but  merely  stunned  by  the  fall,  and  he  states 
that  one  of  the  gang  raised  him  up  and  placed  him  against  a 
wall,  and  that,  while  in  this  position,  four  others  among  the 
mob  advanced  to  the  front  rank  with  loaded  muskets,  and 
fired  at  the  "  Prophet."     From  the  circumstance  that  four 
bullets  were  afterwards  found  in  his  body,  there  would  appear 
to  be  some  ground  for  believing  this  to  be  the  correct  account 
of  Smith's  death,  as  each  of  these  four  men  stood  at  so  short 
a  distance  from  him  as  to  make  it  quite  certain  that  every 
shot  fired  took  effect. 

Thus  died  this  extraordinary  personage.  "  In  the  short 
space  of  twenty  years,"  says  the  account  of  his  "Martyrdom" 
appended  to  the  Book  of  Doctrines  and  Covenants,  "  he 
brought  forth  the  Book  of  Mormon,  which  he  translated  by 
the  gift  and  power  of  God,  and  was  the  means  of  publishing 
in  two  continents.  He  sent  the  fulness  of  the  everlasting 
Gospel  which  it  contained  to  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth. 


180  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

He  brought  forth  the  revelations  and  commandments  which 
compose  the  Book  of  Doctrines  and  Covenants,  and  many 
other  wise  documents  and  instructions  for  the  benefit  of  the 
children  of  men.  He  gathered  many  thousands  of  the  Latter= 
Day  Saints,  founded  a  great  city,  and  left  a  fame  and  a  name 
that  cannot  be  slain.  He  lived  great,  and  died  great  in  the 
eyes  of  God  and  his  people  ;  and  like  most  of  the  Lord's 
anointed  in  ancient  times,  sealed  his  mission  and  his  works 
with  his  own  blood,  and  so  did  his  own  brother  Hyrum.  In  life 
they  were  not  divided,  and  in  death  they  were  not  separated." 
The  Christian  Reflector,  a  less  friendly  critic  of  his  char- 
acter and  actions,  thus  spoke  of  his  life  and  death  : — 

"  It  is  but  a  few  weeks  since  the  death  of  Joe  Smith  was  an- 
nounced. His  body  now  sleeps,  and  his  spirit  has  gone  to  its  re- 
ward. Various  are  the  opinions  of  men  concerning  this  singular 
personage  ;  but  whatever  may  be  the  views  of  any  in  reference  to 
his  principles,  objects,  or  moral  character,  all  agree  that  he  was  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  men  of  the  age.  Not  fifteen  years  have 
elapsed  since  a  band,  composed  of  six  persons,  was  formed  in  Pal- 
myra, New  York,  of  which  Joseph  Smith,  jun.,  was  the  presiding 
genius.  Most  of  these  were  connected  with  the  family  of  Smith 
the  senior.  They  were  notorious  for  breach  of  contracts,  and  the 
repudiation  of  their  honest  debts.  All  of  them  were  addicted  to 
vice.  They  obtained  their  living  not  by  honorable  labor,  but  by  de- 
ceiving their  neighbors  with  their  marvellous  tales  of  money-digging. 
Notwithstanding  the  low  origin,  poverty,  and  profligacy  of  the  mem- 
bers of  that  band  of  mountebanks,  they  have  augmented  their  num- 
bers till  more  than  100,000  persons  are  now  numbered  among  the 
followers  of  the  Mormon  Prophet,  and  never  were  increasing  so 
rapidly  as  at  the  time  of  his  death.  Born  in  the  very  lowest  walks 
of  life,  reared  in  poverty,  educated  in  vice,  having  no  claims  to 
even  common  intelligence,  coarse  and  vulgar  in  deportment,  the 
Prophet  Smith  succeeded  in  establishing  a  religious  creed,  the 
tenets  of  which  have  been  taught  throughout  the  length  and  breadth 
of  America.  The  Prophet's  virtues  have  been  rehearsed  and  ad- 
mired in  Europe ;  the  ministers  of  Nauvoo  have  even  found  a  wel- 


ASSASSINATION    OF   JOSEPH    AND    HYRUM   SMITH.  181 

come  in  Asia ;  and  Africa  has  listened  to  the  grave  sayings  of  the 
seer  of  Palmyra.  The  standard  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints  has  been 
reared  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  and  even  the  Holy  Land  has  been 
entered  by  the  emissaries  of  this  wicked  impostor. 

"  He  founded  a  city  in  one  of  the  most  beautiful  situations  in  the 
world,  in  a  beautiful  curve  of  the  '  father  of  waters,'  of  no  mean 
pretensions,  and  in  it  he  has  collected  a  population  of  twenty-five 
thousand,  from  every  part  of  the  world.  He  planned  the  archi- 
tecture of  a  magnificent  temple,  and  reared  its  walls  nearly  fifty 
feet  high,  which,  if  completed,  will  be  the  most  beautiful,  most 
costly,  and  the  most  noble  building  in  America. 

"  The  acts  of  his  life  exhibit  a  character  as  incongruous  as  it  is 
remarkable.  If  we  can  credit  his  own  words,  and  the  testimony  of 
eye-witnesses,  he  was  at  the  same  time  the  vicegerent  of  God,  and 
a  tavern-keeper— a  prophet  of  Jehovah,  and  a  base  libertine— a 
minister  of  the  religion  of  peace,  and  a  lieutenant-general— a  ruler 
of  tens  of  thousands,  and  a  slave  to  all  his  own  base,  unbridled 
passions— a  preacher  of  righteousness,  and  a  profane  swearer— a 
worshipper  of  Bacchus,  mayor  of  a  city,  and  a  miserable  bar-room 
fiddler— a  judge  upon  the  judicial  bench,  and  an  invader  of  the 
civil,  social,  and  moral  relations  of  men  ;  and,  notwithstanding  these 
inconsistencies  of  character,  there  are  not  wanting  thousands  who 
are  willing  to  stake  their  souls'  eternal  salvation  upon  his  veracity. 
For  aught  we  know,  time  and  distance  will  embellish  his  life  with 
some  new  and  rare  virtues,  which  his  most  intimate  friends  failed 
to  discover  while  living  with  him. 

"  Reasoning  from  effect  to  cause,  we  must  conclude  that  the  Mor- 
mon Prophet  was  of  no  common  genius  :  few  are  able  to  commence 
and  carry  out  an  imposition  like  this,  so  long,  and  to  such  an  ex- 
tent. And  we  see,  in  the  history  of  his  success,  most  striking 
proofs  of  the  gullibility  of  a  large  portion  of  the  human  family. 
What  may  not  men  be  induced  to  believe  ?" 

Joseph  Smith  was  indeed  a  remarkable  man  ;  and,  in 
summing  up  his  character,  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  decide, 
whether  he  were  indeed  the  vulgar  impostor  which  it  has 
become  the  fashion  to  consider  him,  or  whether  he  were  a 
sincere  fanatic  who  believed  what  he  taught.     But  whether 


182  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

an  impostor,  who,  for  the  purposes  of  his  ambition,  concocted 
the  fraud  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  or  a  fanatic  who  believed 
and  promulgated  a  fraud  originally  concocted  by  some  other 
person,  it  must  be  admitted  that  he  displayed  no  little  zeal 
and  courage  ;  that  his  tact  was  great,  that  his  talents  for 
governing  men  were  of  no  mean  order,  and  that,  however 
glaring  his  deficiencies  in  early  life  may  have  been,  he  mani- 
fested, as  he  grew  older,  an  ability  both  as  an  orator  and  a 
writer,  which  showed  that  he  possessed  strong  natural  gifts, 
only  requiring  cultivation  to  have  raised  him  to  a  high  reputa- 
tion among  better  educated  men.  There  are  many  incidents 
in  his  life  which  favor  the  supposition  that  he  was  guilty  of 
a  deliberate  fraud  in  pretending  to  have  revelations  from 
heaven,  and  in  palming  off  upon  the  world  his  new  Bible  ; 
but,  at  the  same  time,  there  is  much  in  his  later  career  which 
seems  to  prove  that  he  really  believed  what  he  asserted — 
that  he  imagined  himself  to  be  in  reality  what  he  pretended 
— the  chosen  medium  to  convey  a  new  Gospel  to  the  world — 
the  inspired  of  heaven,  the  dreamer  of  divine  dreams,  and 
the  companion  of  angels.  If  he  were  an  impostor,  deliber- 
ately and  coolly  inventing,  and  pertinaciously. propagating  a 
falsehood,  there  is  this  much  to  be  said,  that  never  was  an 
impostor  more  cruelly  punished  than  he  was,  from  the  first 
moment  of  his  appearance  as  a  prophet  to  the  last.  Joseph 
Smith,  in  consequence  of  his  pretensions  to  be  a  seer  and 
prophet  of  God,  lived  a  life  of  continual  misery  and  persecu- 
tion. He  endured  every  kind  of  hardship,  contumely,  and 
suffering.  He  was  derided,  assaulted,  and  imprisoned.  His 
life  was  one  long  scene  of  peril  and  distress,  scarcely  bright- 
ened by  the  brief  beam  of  comparative  repose  which  he  en- 
joyed in  his  own  city  of  Nauvoo.  In  the  contempt  showered 
upon  his  head  his  whole  family  shared.  Father  and  mother, 
and  brothers,  wife,  and  friends,  were  alike  involved  in  the 
ignominy  of  his  pretensions,  and  the  sufferings  that  resulted. 


ASSASSINATION    OF    JOSEPH    AND    HYRUM    SMITH.  183 

He  lived  for  fourteen  years  amid  vindictive  enemies,  who 
never  missed  an  opportunity  to  vilify,  to  harass,  and  to  de- 
stroy him  ;  and  he  died  at  last  an  untimely  and  miserable 
death,  involving  in  his  fate  a  brother  to  whom  he  was  ten- 
derly attached.  If  anything  can  tend  to  encourage  the  sup- 
position that  Joseph  Smith  was  a  sincere  enthusiast,  mad- 
dened with  religious  frenzies,  as  many  have  been  before  and 
will  be  after  him — and  that  he  had  strong  and  invincible 
faith  in  his  own  high  pretensions  and  divine  mission,  it  is  the 
probability  that  unless  supported  by  such  feelings,  he  would 
have  renounced  the  unprofitable  and  ungrateful  task,  and 
sought  refuge  from  persecution  and  misery  in  private  life  and 
honorable  industry.  But  whether  knave  or  lunatic,  whether 
a  liar  or  a  true  man,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  he  was  one  of 
the  most  extraordinary  persons  of  his  time,  a  man  of  rude 
genius,  who  accomplished  a  much  greater  work  than  he 
knew  ;  and  whose  name,  whatever  he  may  have  been  whilst 
living,  will  take  its  place  among  the  notabilities  of  the  world. 
The  perpetrators  of  the  shameful  murder  of  the  two  brothers 
were  never  discovered.  Several  persons  were  arrested  on  sus- 
picion, but  there  was  not  sufficient  proof  to  convict  them,  and 
possibly  no  real  efforts  were  made  to  bring  them  to  justice. 
The  event  was  greatly  deplored.  The  sincerest  opponents  of 
Mormonism  were  those  who  were  most  grieved  at  it.  Joseph 
Smith  murdered  was  a  greater  prophet  than  Joseph  Smith 
alive  ;  and  it  was  predicted,  both  by  friends  and  foes,  that, 
however  rapid  the  progress  of  the  sect  might  have  been  in 
past  times,  it  would  be  still  more  rapid  when  fanaticism  might 
point  to  the  martyrs  of  the  faith — when  the  faults  of  the 
Prophet  would  be  buried  in  the  oblivion  of  the  tomb,  and 
when  his  virtues  would  be  enhanced  by  the  remembrance  of 
his  unhappy  fate.  The  prediction  was  verified  ;  but  not, 
however,  until  the  Mormons  had  passed  through  another  long 
period  of  persecution  and  suffering. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Prophet's  Funeeal — Addresses  and  Proclamations  to 
the  Saints — Appointment  of  Beigham  Young  as  Successor 
to  Joseph  Smith — Trial  and  Expulsion  of  Sidney  Rigdon — 
Transient  Peospeeity  of  Nauvoo — New  Troubles  and  Hos- 

.  tilities — Siege  of  Nauvoo — Final  Expulsion  of  the  Mor- 
mons from  Illinois. 

The  news  of  the  death  of  Joseph,  and  of  his  brother,  was 
announced  to  the  Prophet's  widow,  in  a  letter  signed  by  John 
Taylor  and  Willard  Richards,  the  two  "  Saints"  who  were 
present  in  the  prison  at  the  time  of  the  catastrophe,  and  by 
Samuel  H.  Smith,*  a  younger  brother  of  the  murdered  men. 
This  letter,  written  in  great  haste,  implored  the  citizens  of 
Nauvoo  "  to  be  still — and  to  know  that  God  still  reigned  over 
the  world."  It  entreated  them  not  to  rush  out  of  the  city  to 
attack  Carthage,  "  but  to  stay  at  home,  and  be  prepared  for 
an  onslaught  of  the  Missouri  mobbers."  It  added  that  the 
people  of  Hancock  County  were  greatly  excited,  fearing  that 
the  Mormons  would  come  and  take  vengeance,  but  that  the 
writers  had  pledged  their  words  that  no  reprisals  should  be 
made.  To  this  letter  were  appended  two  short  postscripts. 
The  first  bore  the  signature  of  Thomas  Ford,  Governor  and 
Commander-in-Chief  of  Illinois,  and  recommended  the  Mor- 
mons to  defend  themselves  until  protection  could  be  furnished. 

*  Samuel  H.  Smith  died  in  less  than  five  weeks  after  the  assassina- 
tion of  his  brothers  :  the  Mormons  say  of  a  broken  heart.  He  is  also 
claimed  as  one  of  the  martyrs  of  the  faith. 


THE    "PROPHET'S"    FUNERAL.  185 

The  second  postscript  bore  the  signature  of  M.  R.  Deming, 
Brigadier-General  of  the  army  of  Illinois,  acting  under  the 
Governor,  and  was  addressed  to  Mr.  Orson  Spencer,  one  of  the 
twelve  apostles  of  the  Mormons,  and  urged  him  and  the  citi- 
zens of  Nauvoo  to  deliberate  earnestly,  "  as  prudence  might 
obviate  material  destruction."  It  added  that  the  writer  was 
at  "  his  private  residence  when  the  horrible  crime  was  com- 
mitted, and  that  it  would  be  condemned  by  three  fourths  of 
the  people  of  Missouri." 

Early  on  the  following  morning  the  Nauvoo  Legion  was 
called  out  and  addressed  by  Mr.  Phelps,  the  editor  of  the 
Mormon  paper,  and  other  leading  members  of  the  community, 
who  severally  urged  the  legion  and  citizens  to  be  peaceable. 
The  legion  remained  under  arms  from  ten  in  the  morning  un- 
til three  in  the  afternoon,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  bodies 
of  Joseph  and  Hyrum.  "  About  three  o'clock,"  says  the 
Times  and  Seasons,  published  in  Nauvoo  three  days  after- 
wards, "  the  bodies  were  met  by  a  great  assemblage  of  people, 
east  of  the  Temple,  under  the  direction  of  the  City  Marshal, 
Samuel  H.  Smith,  the  brother  of  the  deceased,  Dr.  Richards, 
and  Mr.  Hamilton  of  Carthage.  The  wagons  in  which  the 
bodies  were  conveyed  were  guarded  by  three  men.  A  pro- 
cession was  formed  behind  them,  consisting  of  the  City  Coun 
oil,  the  staff  of  the  Lieutenant-General,  the  Major-General, 
and  the  Brigadier-General,  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  the  com- 
manders, officers,  and  men,  and  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo,  to  the 
number  of  from  eight  to  ten  thousand."  These  followed  the 
bodies  to  the  Mansion  House,  "  amid  the  most  solemn  lamen- 
tations and  wailings  that  ever  ascended  unto  the  ears  of  the 
Lord  God  of  Hosts  to  be  revenged  of  their  enemies  !"  An 
oration  was  pronounced  over  the  bodies  by  Dr.  Richards,  and 
addresses  were  also  delivered  by  four  other  Mormons,  in  which 
the  multitude  were  strongly  urged  to  remain  peaceable. 
"  That  vast  assemblage,  with  one  united  voice,"   said  the 


186  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

Times  and  Seasons,  "  resolved  to  trust  to  the  law  for  justice 
for  such  a  high-handed  assassination,  and  if  that  failed,  to  call 
upon  God  to  avenge  them  of  their  wrongs.  Oh,  widows  and 
orphans !"  it  concluded,  "  oh,  Americans,  weep  !  The  glory 
of  freedom  has  departed  !" 

As  the  conduct  of  the  governor  was  much  impugned  in  this 
melancholy  transaction,  Mr.  Ford  deemed  it  necessary  to  issue 
the  following  address  to  the  people  of  Illinois  in  explanation  of 
his  conduct : — 

"  I  desire  to  make  a  brief  but  true  statement  of  the  recent  disgrace- 
ful affair  at  Carthage,  in  regard  to  the  Smiths,  so  far  as  circumstances 
have  come  to  my  knowledge.  The  Smiths,  Joseph  and  Hyrum,  have 
been  assassinated  in  gaol,  by  whom  it  is  not  known,  but  will  be  as- 
certained. I  pledged  myself  for  their  safety ;  and  upon  the  assu- 
rance of  that  pledge,  they  surrendered  as  prisoners.  The  Mormons 
surrendered  the  public  arms  in  their  possession ;  and  the  Nauvoo 
Legion  submitted  to  the  command  of  Captain  Singleton,  of  Brown 
County,  deputed  for  that  purpose  by  me.  All  these  things  were  re- 
quired to  satisfy  the  old  citizens  of  Hancock  that  the  Mormons  were 
peaceably  disposed,  and  to  allay  jealousy  and  excitement  in  their 
minds.  It  appears,  however,  that  the  compliance  of  the  Mormons 
with  every  requisition  made  upon  them,  failed  of  that  purpose.  The 
pledge  of  security  to  the  Smiths  was  not  given  upon  my  individual 
responsibility.  Before  I  gave  it,  I  obtained  a  pledge  of  honor  by  a 
unanimous  vote  from  the  officers  and  men  under  my  command,  to 
sustain  me  in  performing  it.  If  the  assassination  of  the  Smiths  was 
committed  by  any  portion  of  these,  they  have  added  treachery  to 
murder,  and  have  done  all  they  could  to  disgrace  the  State  and  sully 
the  public  honor. 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  day  the  deed  was  committed,  we  had 
proposed  to  march  the  army  under  my  command  into  Nauvoo.  I 
had,  however,  discovered  on  the  evening  before,  that  nothing  but  the 
utter  destruction  of  the  city  would  satisfy  a  portion  of  the  troops ; 
and  that,  if  we  marched  into  the  city,  pretexts  would  not  be  wanting 
for  commencing  hostilities.  The  Mormons  had  done  everything  re- 
quired, or  which  ought  to  have  been  required  of  them.     Offensive 


ADDRESS  OF  THE  GOVERNOR  TO  THE  PEOPLE.     187 

operations  on  our  part  would  have  been  as  unjust  and  disgraceful  as 
they  would  have  been  impolitic  in  the  present  critical  season  of  the 
year,  the  harvest,  and  the  crops.  For  these  reasons,  I  decided,  in  a 
council  of  officers,  to  disband  the  army,  except  three  companies,  two 
of  which  were  reserved  as  a  guard  for  the  gaol.  With  the  other 
company  I  marched  into  Nauvoo,  to  address  the  inhabitants  there, 
and  tell  them  what  they  might  expect  in  case  they  designedly  or  im- 
prudently provoked  a  war.  I  performed  this  duty,  as  I  think,  plain- 
ly and  emphatically,  and  then  set  out  to  return  to  Carthage.  When 
I  had  marched  about  three  miles,  a  messenger  informed  me  of  the 
occurrences  at  Carthage.  I  hastened  on  to  that  place.  The  guard, , 
it  is  said,  did  their  duty,  but  were  overpowered.  Many  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  Carthage  had  fled  with  their  families.  Others  were  prepar- 
ing to  go.  I  apprehended  danger  to  the  settlements  from  the  sudden 
fury  and  passion  of  the  Mormons,  and  sanctioned  their  movements 
in  this  respect. 

"  General  Deming  volunteered  to  remain  with  a  few  troops  to  ob- 
serve the  progress  of  events,  to  defend  property  against  small  num- 
bers, and  with  orders  to  retreat  if  menaced  by  a  superior  force.  I 
decided  to  proceed  immediately  to  Quincy,  to  prepare  a  force  suffi- 
cient to  suppress  disorders,  in  case  it  should  ensue  from  the  fore- 
going transactions  or  from  any  other  cause.  I  have  hopes  that  the 
Mormons  will  make  no  further  difficulties.  In  this  I  may  be  mista- 
ken. The  other  party  may  not  be  satisfied.  They  may  recommence 
aggression.  I  have  determined  to  preserve  the  peace  against  all 
breakers  of  the  same,  at  all  hazards.  I  think  present  circumstances 
warrant  the  precaution  of  having  competent  force  at  my  disposal  in 
readiness  to  march  at  a  moment's  warning.  My  position  at  Quincy 
will  enable  me  to  get  the  earliest  intelligence,  and  to  communicate 
orders  with  greater  celerity. 

"  I  have  decided  to  issue  the  following  general  orders  : — 

"  Head  Quarters,  Quincy,  June  29, 1844. 
"  It  is  ordered  that  the  commandants  of  regiments  in  the  counties 
of  Adams,  Marquette,  Pike,  Brown,  Schuyler,  Morgan,  Scott,  Cass, 
Fulton,  and  M'Donough,  and  the  regiments  composing  General 
Stapp's  brigade,  will  call  their  respective  regiments  and  battalions 
together  immediately  upon  the  receipt  of  this  order,  and  proceed  by 


1SS  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

voluntary  enlistment  to  enrol  as  many  men  as  can  be  armed  in  their 
respective  regiments.  They  will  make  arrangements  for  a  cam- 
paign of  twelve  clays,  and  will  provide  themselves  with  arms,  ammu- 
nition, and  provisions  accordingly,  and  hold  themselves  in  readiness 
immediately  to  march  upon  the  receipt  of  further  orders. 

•'  The  independent  companies  of  riflemen,  infantry,  cavalry,  and 
artillery,  in  the  above-named  counties,  and  in  the  comity  of  Sanga- 
mon, will  hold  themselves  in  readiness  in  like  manner. 

u  Thomas  Ford, 
"  Governor  and  Commander-in-Chief." 

Governor  Ford,  who  appears  to  have  been  greatly  appre- 
hensive that  the  Mormons  would  rise,  en  masse,  to  revenge 
the  death  of  Joseph,  despatched,  on  the  third  day  after  the 
murder,  two  officers  of  the  army  of  Illinois  to  Nauvoo,  to  as- 
certain the  disposition  of  the  citizens,  "  and  whether  any  of 
them  proposed  in  any  manner  to  revenge  themselves,  and  to 
report  what  threats  had  been  used.'1  They  were  also  directed 
to  proceed  to  the  town  of  Warsaw,  where  the  anti-Mormon 
militia  had  mustered  in  great  strength,  and  to  ascertain 
whether  they  meditated  any  attack  upon  Tsauvoo — whether 
any  of  the  people  from  the  neighboring  States  of  Missouri  and 
Iowa  were  among  them — and  to  forbid  any  interference  in 
the  name  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  under  the  highest  penalties 
of  the  law.  These  officers,  on  their  arrival  at  Nauvoo,  com- 
municated to  the  members  of  the  municipality  a  copy  of  the 
instructions  they  had  received.  A  meeting  of  the  City  Coun- 
cil was  immediately  summoned  to  consider  the  matter.  A 
string  of  resolutions  was  unanimously  passed,  to  the  effect 
that  the  Mormons  as  a  body  would  endeavor  to  promote  the 
peace  and  welfare  of  the  County  of  Hancock,  and  the  State 
of  Illinois  generally,  by  rigidly  sustaining  the  laws,  as  long  as 
the  Governor  would  support  them  in  the  exercise  of  their  con- 
stitutional rights.  That  as  thay  had  surrendered  the  public 
arms  with  which  they  had  been  entrusted,  they  solicited  the 


ADDRESSES    TO    THE    "  SAINTS."  189 

Governor  to  disarm  their  opponents  in  like  manner  ;  that  the 
Saints  would  reprobate  the  taking  of  private  vengeance  on  the 
murderers  of  General  Joseph  Smith  and  General  Hyrum 
Smith  ;  that  the  City  Council  pledged  itself  on  behalf  of  the 
whole  body  of  citizens,  that  no  aggressions  should  be  made  by 
them  on  the  people  of  the  adjoining  country  ;  and  furthermore, 
that  it  highly  approved  of  the  pacific  course  taken  by  the 
Governor  to  allay  excitement,  and  restore  peace  among  the 
people  of  Illinois.  A  public  meeting  was  then  held  on  the 
great  square,  at  which  the  Governor's  emissaries  attended,  and 
addressed  the  people  in  the  same  conciliatory  spirit,  the  mul- 
titude responding  by  one  loud  "  Amen." 

On  the  same  afternoon,  an  address  to  the  Mormons  in  Nau- 
voo  was  issued  by  a  committee  of  the  "  Saints  :" — 

"  TO    THE    CHURCH   OF    JESUS    CHRIST    OF    LATTER-DAY    SAINTS. 

"Deeply  impressed  for  the  welfare  of  all,  while  mourning  the 
great  loss  of  President  Joseph  Smith,  our  '  prophet  and  seer,'  and 
President  Hyrum  Smith,  our  '  patriarch,'  we  have  considered  the  oc- 
casion demanded  of  us  a  word  of  consolation.  As  has  been  the  case 
in  all  ages,  these  saints  have  fallen  martyrs  for  the  truth's  sake,  and 
their  escape  from  the  persecution  of  a  wicked  world,  in  blood  to  bliss, 
only  strengthens  our  faith,  and  confirms  our  religion  as  pure  and 
holy.  We,  therefore,  as  servants  of  the  Most  High  God,  having  the 
Bible,  Book  of  Mormon,  and  the  Book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants, 
together  with  thousands  of  witnesses  for  Jesus  Christ,  would  beseech 
the  Latter-Day  Saints  in  Nauvoo,  and  elsewhere,  to  hold  fast  to  the 
faith  that  has  been  delivered  to  them  in  the  last  days,  abiding  in  the 
perfect  law  of  the  Gospel.  Be  peaceable,  quiet  citizens,  doing  the 
works  of  righteousness,  and  as  soon  as  the  '  Twelve'  and  other  au- 
thorities can  assemble,  or  a  majority  of  them,  the  onward  course  to 
the  great  gathering  of  Israel,  and  the  final  consummation  of  the  dis- 
pensation of  the  fulness  of  times,  will  be  pointed  out,  so  that  the  mur- 
der of  Abel,  the  assassination  of  hundreds,  the  righteous  blood  of  all 
the  holy  prophets,  from  Abel  to  Joseph,  sprinkled  with  the  best  blood 
of  the  Son  of  God,  as  the  crimson  sign  of  remission,  only  carries  con- 


190  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

viction  to  the  business  and  bosoms  of  all  flesh,' that  the  cause  is  just, 
and  will  continue.  And  blessed  are  they  that  hold  out  faithful  to  the 
end,  while  apostates,  consenting  to  the  shedding  of  innocent  blood, 
have  no  forgiveness  in  this  world,  nor  in  the  world  to  come.  Union 
is  peace,  brethren,  and  eternal  life  is  the  greatest  gift  of  God.  Re- 
joice, then,  that  you  are  found  worthy  to  live  and  die  for  God.  Men 
may  kill  the  body,  but  they  cannot  hurt  the  soul,  and  wisdom  shall 
be  justified  of  her  children.     Amen. 

"  W.  W.  Phelps. 

W.  Richards. 
John  Taylor." 
'  July  1,  1844." 

A  second  address  to  the  "  Saints"  in  all  parts  of  the  world 
was  issued  a  fortnight  afterwards  : — 

"  TO    THE    SAINTS    ABROAD. 

"  Dear  Brethren, — On  hearing  of  the  martyrdom  of  our  beloved 
Prophet  and  patriarch,  you  will  doubtless  need  a  word  of  advice  and 
comfort,  and  look  for  it  from  our  hands.  We  would  say,  therefore, 
first  of  all,  be  still,  and  know  that  the  Lord  is  God,  and  that  he  will 
fulfil  all  things  in  his  own  due  time,  and  not  one  jot  or  tittle  of  all 
his  purposes  and  promises  shall  fail.  Remember,  remember  that  the 
priesthood,  and  the  keys  of  power,  are  held  in  eternity  as  well  as  in 
time ;  and  therefore  the  servants  of  God  who  pass  the  veil  of  death, 
are  prepared  to  enter  upon  a  greater  and  more  effectual  work,  in  the 
speedy  accomplishment  of  the  restoration  of  all  things  spoken  of  by 
his  holy  prophets. 

"  Remember  that  all  the  prophets  and  saints  who  have  existed 
since  the  world  began,  are  engaged  in  this  holy  work,  and  are  yet 
in  the  vineyard,  as  well  as  the  laborers  of  the  eleventh  hour,  and  are 
all  pledged  to  establish  the  kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth,  and  to  give 
judgment  unto  the  saints.  Therefore,  none  can  hinder  the  rolling 
on  of  the  eternal  purposes  of  the  Great  Jehovah.  And  we  have  now 
every  reason  to  believe  that  the  fulfilment  of  His  great  purposes  is 
much  nearer  than  we  had  supposed,  and  that  not  many  years  hence 
we  shall  see  the  kingdom  of  God  coming  with  power  and  great  glory 
to  pur  deliverance. 


ADDRESSES    TO    THE    "  SAINTS."  191 

"  As  to  our  country  and  nation,  we  have  more  reason  to  weep  for 
them  than  for  those  they  have  murdered  ;  for  they  are  destroying 
themselves  and  their  institutions,  and  there  is  no  remedy ;  and  as  to 
feelings  of  revenge,  let  them  not  have  place  for  one  moment  in  our 
bosoms,  for  God's  vengeance  will  speedily  consume  to  that  degree 
that  we  would  fain  be  hid  away,  and  not  endure  the  sight. 

"  Let  us,  then,  humble  ourselves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God, 
and  endeavor  to  put  away  all  our  sins  and  imperfections  as  a  people, 
and  as  individuals,  and  to  call  upon  the  Lord  with  the  spirit  of  grace 
and  supplication,  and  wait  patiently  on  him,  until  he  shall  direct  our 
way. 

"  Let  no  vain  or  foolish  plans,  or  imaginations,  scatter  us  abroad, 
and  divide  us  asunder  as  a  people,  to  seek  to  save,  our  lives  at  the 
expense  of  truth  and  principle,  but  rather  let  us  live  or  die  together, 
and  in  the  enjoyment  of  society  and  union.  Therefore,  we  say,  let 
us  haste  to  fulfil  the  commandments  which  God  has  already  given 
us.  Yea,  let  us  haste  to  build  the  temple  of  our  God,  and  to  gather 
together  thereunto,  our  silver  and  our  gold  with  us,  unto  the  name 
of  the  Lord  ;  and  then  we  may  expect  that  he  will  teach  us  of  his 
ways,  and  we  will  walk  in  his  paths. 

"  We  would  further  say,  that  in  consequence  of  the  great  rains 
which  have  deluged  the  western  country,  and  also  in  consequence 
of  persecution  and  excitement,  there  has  been  but  little  done  here, 
either  in  farming  or  building  this  season  ;  therefore  there  is  but  little 
employment,  and  but  little  means  of  subsistence  at  the  command  of 
the  Saints  in  this  region — therefore  let  the  Saints  abroad,  and  others 
who  feel  for  our  calamities  and  wish  to  sustain  us,  come  on  with 
their  money  and  means  without  delay,  and  purchase  lots  and  farms, 
and  build  buildings,  and  employ  hands,  as  well  as  to  pay  their  tithings 
into  the  Temple,  and  their  donations  to  the  poor. 

"  We  wish  it  distinctly  understood  abroad,  that  we  greatly  need 
the  assistance  of  every  lover  of  humanity,  whether  members  of  the 
church  or  otherwise,  both  in  influence  and  in  contributions  for  our 
aid,  succor,  and  support.  Therefore,  if  they  feel  for  us,  now  is  the 
time  to  show  their  liberality  and  patriotism,  towards  a  poor  and  per- 
secuted, but  honest  and  industrious  people. 

"  Let  the  elders  who  remain  abroad,  continue  to  preach  the  Gospel 

V 


192  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

in  its  purity  and  fulness,  and  to  bear  testimony  of  the  truth  of  these 
things  which  have  been  revealed  for  the  salvation  of  this  genera- 
tion. 

"P.  P.  Pratt. 

Willard  Richards. 
John  Taylor. 
W.  W.  Phelps." 
"  Nauvoo,  July  15,  1844." 

To  re-assure  the  Mormon  people,  many  of  whom  began  to 
be  apprehensive  that  the  whole  organization  of  the  sect  had 
fallen  to  pieces  since  the  death  of  the  Prophet,  a  more  solemn 
address  was  issued  in  the  name  of  the  Twelve  Apostles.  This 
document  urged  the  "  Saints"  to  come  from  all  parts  of  the 
Union,  and  of  the  world,  to  Nauvoo,  to  build  up  the  Temple 
of  the  Lord ;  reminded  them  that  the  "  Prophet  Joseph," 
though  removed  from  this  world,  "  still  held  the  keys  of  this 
last  dispensation,"  and  always  would,  in  time  and  in  eternity, 
and  recommended  them  to  abstain  from  all  politics,  voting,  or 
president-making,  and  direct  their  whole  attention  to  the  af- 
fairs, social  and  religious,  of  the  Mormon  body.  This  docu- 
ment was  signed  by  Brigham  Young,  President  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles,  a  man  who  was  destined  to  play  a  most  important 
part  in  the  future  history  of  Mormonism.  It  ran  as  fol- 
lows : — 

"AN  EPISTLE  OF  THE  TWELVE, 

"  To  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints,  in  Nauvoo 

and  all  the  world,  GREETING. 

"  Beloved  Brethren — Forasmuch  as  the  Saints  have  been  called 

to  suffer  deep  affliction  and  persecution,  and  also  to  mourn  the  loss 

of  our  beloved  Prophet  and  also  our  Patriarch,  who  have  suffered  a 

cruel  martyrdom   for  the  testimony  of  Jesus,  having  voluntarily 

yielded  themselves  to  cruel  murderers  who  had  sworn  to  take  their 

lives,  and  thus,  like  good  shepherds,  have  laid  down  their  lives  for 

the  sheep,  therefore  it  becomes  necessary  for  us  to  address  you  at 

this  time  on  several  important  subjects. 


THE    EPISTLE    OF    "  THE    TWELVE."  193 

"  You  are  now  without  a  Prophet  present  with  you  in  the  flesh  to 
guide  you  ;  but  you  are  not  without  Apostles,  who  hold  the  keys  of 
power  to  seal  on  earth  that  which  shall  be  sealed  in  heaven,  and  to 
preside  over  all  the  affairs  of  the  church  in  all  the  world  ;  being  still 
under  the  direction  of  the  same  God,  and  being  dictated  by  the  same 
Spirit,  having  the  same  manifestations  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  dictate 
all  the  affairs  of  the  church  in  all  the  world,  to  build  up  the  king- 
dom upon  the  foundation  that  the  Prophet  Joseph  has  laid,  who  still 
holds  the  keys  of  this  last  dispensation,  and  will  hold  them  to  all  eter- 
nity, as  a  king  and  priest  unto  the  Most  High  God,  ministering  in 
heaven,  on  earth,  or  among  the  spirits  of  the  departed  dead,  as  seem- 
eth  good  to  Him  who  sent  him. 

"  Let  no  man  presume  for  a  moment  that  his  place  will  be  filled  by 
another  ;  for,  remember  lie  stands  in  his  oivn  place,  and  always  will ; 
and  the  Twelve  Apostles  of  this  dispensation  stand  in  their  own 
place,  and  always  will,  both  in  time  and  eternity,  to  minister,  pre- 
side, and  regulate  the  affairs  of  the  whole  church. 

"  How  vain  are  the  imaginations  of  the  children  of  men,  to  pre- 
sume for  a  moment  that  the  slaughter  of  one,  two.  or  a  hundred  of 
the  leaders  of  this  church  could  destroy  an  organization  so  perfect  in 
itself  and  so  harmoniously  arranged,  that  it  will  stand  while  one 
member  of  it  is  left  alive  upon  the  earth.  Brethren,  be  not  alarmed, 
for  if  the  Twelve  should  be  taken  away,  still  there  are  powers  and 
offices  in  existence  which  will  bear  the  kingdom  of  God  triumphantly 
victorious  in  all  the  world.  This  church  may  have  prophets  many, 
and  apostles  many,  but  they  are  all  to  stand  in  due  time  in  their 
proper  organization,  under  the  direction  of  those  who  hold  the  keys. 

"  On  the  subject  of  the  gathering,  let  it  be  distinctly  understood 
that  the  City  of  Nauvoo  and  the  Temple  of  our  Lord  are  to  continue 
to  be  built  up  according  to  the  pattern  which  has  been  commenced, 
and  which  has  progressed  with  such  rapidity  thus  far. 

"  The  city  must  be  built  up  and  supported  by  the  gathering  of 
those  who  have  capital,  and  are  willing  to  lay  it  out  for  the  erection 
of  every  branch  of  industry  and  manufacture,  which  is  necessary 
for  the  employment  and  support  of  the  poor,  or  of  those  who  depend 
wholly  on  their  labor ;  while  farmers  who  have  capital  must  come 
on  and  purchase  farms  in  the'  adjoining  country,  and  improve  and 
13 


194  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

cultivate  the  same.  In  this  way  all  may  enjoy  plenty,  and  our  in- 
fant city  may  grow  and  flourish,  and  be  strengthened  an  hundred 
fold ;  and  unless  this  is  done,  it  is  impossible  for  the  gathering  to 
progress,  because  those  who  have  no  other  dependence  cannot  live 
together  without  industry  and  employment. 

"  Therefore,  let  capitalists  hasten  here ;  and  they  may  be  assured 
we  have  nerves,  sinews,  fingers,  skill,  and  ingenuity,  sufficient  in 
our  midst  to  carry  on  all  the  necessary  branches  of  industry. 

"  The  Temple  must  be  completed  by  a  regular  system  of  tithing, 
according  to  the  commandments  of  the  Lord,  which  he  has  given  as 
a  law  unto  this  church,  by  the  mouth  of  his  servant  Joseph. 

"  Therefore  as  soon  as  the  Twelve  have  proceeded  to  a  full  and 
complete  organization  of  the  branches  abroad,  let  every  member 
proceed  immediately  to  tithe  himself,  or  herself,  a  tenth  of  all  their 
property  and  money,  and  pay  it  into  the  hands  of  the  Twelve ;  or  into 
the  hands  of  such  bishops  as  have  been,  or  shall  be,  appointed  by 
them  to  receive  the  same,  for  the  building  of  the  Temple  or  the 
support  of  the  priesthood,  according  to  the  Scriptures,  and  the 
revelations  of  God.  And  then  let  them  continue  to  pay  in 
a  tenth  of  their  income  from  that  time  forth,  for  this  is  a  law  unto 
this  church  as  much  binding  on  their  conscience  as  any  other 
law  or  ordinance.  And  let  this  law  or  ordinance  be  henceforth 
taught  to  all  who  present  themselves  for  admission  into  this  church, 
that  they  may  know  the  sacrifice  and  tithing  which  the  Lord  requires, 
and  perform  it ;  or  else  not  curse  the  church  with  a  mock  member- 
ship, as  many  have  done  heretofore.  This  will  furnish  a  steady  pub- 
lic fund  for  all  sacred  purposes,  and  save  the  leaders  from  constant 
debt  and  embarrassment,  and  the  members  can  then  employ  the  re- 
mainder of  their  capital  in  every  branch  of  enterprise,  industry,  and 
charity,  as  seemeth  them  good  ;  only  holding  themselves  in  readiness 
to  be  advised  in  such  a  manner  as  shall  be  for  the  good  of  themselves 
and  the  whole  society ;  and  thus  all  things  can  move  in  harmony, 
and  for  the  general  benefit  and  satisfaction  of  all  concerned. 

"  The  United  States  and  adjoining  provinces  will  be  immediately 
organized  by  the  Twelve  into  proper  districts,  in  a  similar  manner  as 
they  have  already  done  in  England,  and  Scotland,  and  high  priests 
will  be  appointed  over  each  district,  to  preside  over  the  same,  and  to 
call  quarterly  conferences  for  the  regulation  and  representation  of 


THE    EPISTLE    OF    "  THE    TWELVE."  195 

the  branches  included  in  the  same,  and  for  the  furtherance  of  the 
Gospel ;  and  also  to  take  measures  for  a  yearly  representation  in  a 
general  conference.  This  will  save  the  trouble  and  confusion  of  the 
running  to  and  fro  of  elders  ;  detect  false  doctrine  and  false  teach- 
ers, and  make  every  elder  abroad  accountable  to  the  conference  in 
which  he  may  happen  to  labor.  Bishops  will  also  be  appointed  in 
the  larger  branches,  to  attend  to  the  management  of  the  temporal 
funds,  such  as  tithings,  and  funds  for  the  poor,  according  to  the 
revelations  of  God,  and  to  be  judges  in  Israel. 

"The  Gospel,  in  its  fulness  and  purity,  must  now  roll  forth 
through  every  neighborhood  of  this  wide-spread  country,  and  to  all 
the  world ;  and  millions  will  awake  to  its  truth  and  obey  its  pre- 
cepts ;  and  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  will  become  the  kingdoms  of 
our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ. 

"  As  rulers  and  people  have  taken  counsel  together  against  the 
Lord,  and  against  his  anointed,  and  have  murdered  him  who  would 
have  reformed  and  saved  the  nation,  it  is  not  wisdom  for  the  Saints 
to  have  anything  to  do  with  politics,  voting,  or  president-making,  at 
present.  None  of  the  candidates  who  are  now  before  the  public  for 
that  high  office  have  manifested  any  disposition  or  intention  to  re- 
dress wrong  or  restore  right,  liberty,  or  law;  and,  therefore,  woe 
unto  him  who  gives  countenance  to  corruption,  or  partakes  of  mur- 
der, robbery,  or  other  cruel  deeds.  Let  us,  then,  stand  aloof  from 
all  their  corrupt  men  and  measures,  and  wait,  at  least,  till  a  man  is 
found,  who,  if  elected,  will  carry  out  the  enlarged  principles,  univer- 
sal freedom,  and  equal  rights  and  protection,  expressed  in  the  views 
of  our  beloved  prophet  and  martyr,  General  Joseph  Smith. 

"  We  do  not,  however,  offer  this  political  advice  as  binding  on  the 
consciences  of  others.  We  are  perfectly  willing  that  every  member 
of  this  church  should  use  their  own  freedom  in  all  political  matters ; 
but  we  give  it  as  our  own  rule  of  action,  and  for  the  benefit  of  those 
who  may  choose  to  profit  by  it. 

"  Now,  dear  brethren,  to  conclude  our  present  communication,  we 
would  exhort  you  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  be  hum- 
ble and  faithful  before  God  and  before  all  the  people,  and  give  no 
occasion  for  any  man  to  speak  evil  of  you ;  but  preach  the  Gospel 
in  its  simplicity  and  purity,  and  practise  righteousness,  and  seek  to 
establish  the  influence  of  truth,  peace,  and  love,  among  mankind, 


196  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

and  in  so  doing,  the  Lord  will  bless  you,  and  make  you  a  blessing  to 

all  people. 

"  You  may  expect  to  hear  from  us  again. 

"  Brigham  Young, 

"  President  of  the  Twelve." 
"  Nauvoo,  August  I5ih,  1844." 

No  sooner  had  the  Smiths  been  removed  from  the  way  of 
his  long-concealed  but  violent  ambition,  than  Sidney  Rigdon 
strove  to  vault  into  the  vacant  place  of  the  deceased  "  Prophet." 
Sidney,  however,  miscalculated  his  power  and  influence.  Jo- 
seph had  long  been  mistrustful  of  him.  Sidney  knew  too 
much,  and  Joseph,  without  quarrelling  with  him,  had  kept 
him  at  arm's  length.  The  mistrust  of  the  Prophet  was 
shared  by  the  principal  Mormons,  and  his  "  spiritual  wife" 
doctrine  had  alienated  from  him  the  confidence  of  many  who 
had  once  looked  upon  him  as  a  founder  of  the  faith,  and  a 
pillar  of  the  church.  After  the  death  of  Joseph,  Sidney  Rig- 
don  had  a  "  revelation,"  commanding  the  Saints  to  withdraw 
from  their  enemies,  and  leave  Nauvoo,  and  establish  them- 
selves in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania.  This  "  revelation"  con- 
tradicted the  "  revelations"  of  Joseph,  which  asserted  posi- 
tively that  Jackson  County  was  to  be  the  final  home  of  the 
people  ;  and  the  "  Saints,"  under  the  guidance  of  Brigham 
Young,  who  had  his  own  views  to  serve,  treated  Sidney's 
"revelations"  as  the  unwarrantable  innovations  of  a  man 
who  '-'lied  before  the  Lord,"  and  sought  the  destruction  of  his 
Saints.  He  was  summoned  to  answer  for  his  misdeeds  before 
the  high  quorum  of  the  priesthood.  The  trial  commenced 
before  the  "  Twelve  Apostles,"*  and  the  High  Council  of  the 

*  The  Twelve  Apostles  are  thus  described  in  a  letter  from  W.  W. 
Phelps,  addressed  to  the  editor  of  the  New  York  Prophet,  a  small  jour- 
nal established  at  this  time  to  promulgate  the  views  of  the  sect  in  the 
commercial  metropolis  of  the  Union:—"  I  know  the  Twelve,  and  they 
know  me.    Their  names  are  Brigham  Young,  the  Lion  of  the  Lord  ; 


TRIAL    OF    SIDNEY    RIGDON.  197 

Church,  on  the  15th  of  September,  about  ten  weeks  after  the 
death  of  Joseph.  Rigdon  refused  to  appear  ;  but  evidence 
against  him  was  given  in  his  absence,  some  of  which  was  not 
a  little  curious  and  suggestive.  The  business  of  the  day  be- 
gan by  the  singing  of  a  hymn  by  the  choir,  and  the  delivery 
of  a  prayer  by  Orson  Hyde.  Brigham  Young  then  delivered 
a  long  address  to  the  apostles  and  council,  in  which  he  bold- 
ly spoke  of  the  dissensions  that  had  arisen,  and  called  upon 
those  who  had  anything  to  say,  to  declare  themselves  openly. 
"  Those  who  wish,"  said  he,  "  to  tarry  in  Nauvoo,  to  build  up 
the  city  and  the  temple,  and  carry  out  the  message  and  reve- 
lation of  our  martyred  Prophet,  let  them  speak.  We  wish  to 
know  who  they  are.  Those  who  are  for  Joseph  and  Hyrum, 
for  the  Book  of  Mormon,  for  the  Book  of  Doctrines  and  Cove- 
nants, for  the  temple  and  Joseph's  measures,  and  for  the 
Twelve  Apostles,  all  these  being  one  party,  let  them  manifest 
their  principles  openly  and  boldly.  If  they  are  of  the  opposite 
party,  let  them  speak  with  the  same  freedom.  If  they  are 
for  Sidney  Rigdon,  and  believe  he  is  the  man  to  be  the  First 
President  and  leader  of  this  people,  let  them  manifest  it  bold- 
ly !  Those  who  decline  going  either  way,  but  secretly  slander 
the  character  of  Joseph  and  the  Twelve,  we  withdraw  our 
fellowship  from  them.  If  there  be  not  more  than  ten  men 
who  hang  on  to  the  truth,  to  Joseph,  and  to  the  Temple,  and 
who  are  willing  to  do  right  in  all  things,  let  me  be  one  of  the 
number.     If  there  be  but  ten  left,  to  have  their  lives  threat- 

Heber  C.  Kimball,  the  Herald  of  Grace ;  Parley  P.  Pratt,  the  Archer  of 
Paradise ;  Orson  Hyde,  the  Olive  Branch  of  Israel ;  Willard  Richards, 
the  Keeper  of  the  Rolls ;  John  Taylor,  the  Champion  of  Right ;  Wil- 
liam Smith,  the  Patriarchal  Staff  of  Jacob ;  Wilfred  Woodruff,  the 
Banner  of  the  Gospel ;  George  A.  Smith,  the  Entablature  of  Truth ; 
Orson  Pratt,  the  Gauge  of  Philosophy ;  John  E.  Page,  the  Sun  Dial ; 
and  Lyman  Wight,  the  Wild  Ram  of  the  Mountains.  They  are  good 
men ;  the  best  the  Lord  can  find.  They  will  do  the  will  of  God,  and 
the  Saints  know  it." 


X. 


198  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

ened  by  mobs,  because  they  will  do  right ; — and  build  up  the 
Temple,  let  me  be  one  to  be  martyred  for  the  truth  !  I  have 
travelled  for  years  in  the  midst  of  poverty  and  tribulation,  and 
that,  too,  with  blood  in  my  shoes,  month  after  month,  year 
after  year,  to  sustain  and  preach  this  Gospel,  and  to  build  up 
this  kingdom,  and  God  forbid  that  I  should  now  turn  round, 
and  seek  to  destroy  that  which  I  have  been  building  up." 

After  this  eloquent  exordium,  Brigham  Young  proceeded  to 
give  evidence  against  Higdon,  stating  that  he  refused  to  ap- 
pear, thinking  it  would  be  better  for  him  ;  that  he  pretended 
to  be  sick,  but  was  no  more  sick  than  he,  Brigham  Young, 
was  at  that  moment  ;  that  Rigdon,  without  authority,  was 
acting  as  if  he  were  the  legal  successor  of  Joseph  Smith, 
and  ordaining  men  "  to  be  prophets,  priests,  and  kings ;"  that 
when  accused  of  doing  this,  he  equivocated  and  denied.  "  I 
saw,"  said  Brigham,  "  the  disposition  of  Elder  Rigdon  to 
equivocate,  and  I  determined  to  know  the  whole  secret.  I 
said  to  him  again,  '  Elder  Rigdon,  did  you  not  ordain  these 
men  at  a  meeting  last  night  ?'  He  replied,  '  Yes,  I  suppose  I 
did.'  I  then  asked  Brother  Rigdon  by  what  authority  he  or- 
dained prophets,  priests,  and  kings  ?'  To  which,  with  a  very 
significant  air,  he  replied — '  Oh,  I  know  all  about  that !'  " 
Elder  Orson  Hyde,  another  of  the  Twelve,  gave  similar  evi- 
dence, to  the  effect  that  Rigdon  had  admitted  "  that  he  was 
going  to  feel  the  minds  of  the  branches,  and  then  of  the  peo- 
ple of  Nauvoo,  until  he  got  strong  enough  to  make  a  party  ; 
and  that  if  he  found  he  could  raise  influence  to  divide  the 
Church,  he  would  do  so.  "When  we  (Hyde  and  others)  de- 
manded his  license  for  ordaining  men  to  be  prophets,  priests, 
and  kings,  he  said,  '  I  did  not  receive  it  from  you,  and  shall 
not  give  it  up  to  you.'  "  He  also  threatened  "  to  turn  traitor, 
saying,  '  Inasmuch  as  you  have  demanded  my  license,  I 
shall  feel  it  my  duty  to  publish  all  your  secret  meetings,  and 
all  the  secret  works  of  this  Church  in  the  public  journals,' — 


TRIAL    OF    SIDNEY    RIGDON.  199 

intimating  that  this  would  bring  the  rnob  upon  us."  Amasa 
Lyman,  another  apostle,  was  the  third  of  Rigdons  accusers. 
He  said,  "  that  it  was  plain  Elder  Sidney  Rigdon  had  had  a 
spirit  as  corrupt  as  hell,  for  the  last  four  or  five  years."  He 
added,  "  We  have  never  heard  of  Sidney  getting  a  revelation 
from  heaven,  but  as  soon  as  Brother  Joseph  has  been  re- 
moved, he  can  manufacture  one,  to  allure  the  people  and  de- 
stroy them.  After  having  given  his  testimony  to  the  world 
(in  support  of  the  divine  authority  of  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
and  its  miraculous  translation  by  Joseph),  he  finds  fault  with 
God  because  he  happened  to  get  into  gaol  in  Missouri,  and 
because  he  was  poor.  This  is  the  man,"  continued  Amasa 
Lyman,  "  who  can  get  such  wonderful  revelations !"  John 
Taylor  corroborated  all  this  evidence,  and  strengthened  all 
these  assertions  against  Rigdon,  adding  his  belief  "  that  this 
man's  mind  was  enveloped  in  darkness  ;  that  he  was  ignorant 
and  blinded  by  the  Devil,  and  incompetent  to  fulfil  the  work 
which  he  had  undertaken ;"  and  concluding,  that  in  his 
opinion,  "  the  men  who  had  murdered  Joseph  and  Hyrum, 
wicked  as  they  were,  were  not  one  hundredth  part  so  wicked 
and  so  guilty  as  the  men  who  sowed  dissensions  in  the  Church 
— the  Fosters,  the  Laws,  the  Higbees,  and  others,  who  were 
the  instigators,  the  aiders,  and  the  abettors,  of  murder." 
Elder  Heber  Kimball  explained  that  the  martyred  Joseph 
had  for  many  years  been  aware  that  Rigdon  was  unsafe,  and 
not  to  be  trusted  ;  and  reminded  the  assembly,  that  a  year 
previously,  Joseph  had  said,  at  the  annual  conference,  that 
"  he  should  carry  Rigdon  no  more  :  if  the  Church  wanted  to 
carry  him,  it  might,  but  he  should  not;"  and  that  he  had 
formally  deprived  him  of  all  power  and  authority,  appointing 
Elder  Amasa  Lyman  in  his  stead. 

On  the  second  day  of  these  proceedings,  Brigham  Young 
again  rose,  and  inveighed  against  Rigdon  in  the  following 
terms,  which  are  curious  as  tending  to  prove  Rigdon's  com- 


200  HISTORY.  OF    THE    MORMONS. 

plicity  in  the  original  fraud  by  which  the  Booh  of  Mormon 
was  palmed  off  upon  the  credulous  as  a  divine  revelation  : 
"  Brother  Sidney  says  he  will  tell  all  our  secrets,"  exclaimed 
Brigham  Young  ;  "  but  I  would  say,  Oh,  don't,  Brother  Sid 
ney  !  don't  tell  our  secrets — oh,  don't !  But  if  he  tells  our 
secrets,  we  will  tell  his.  Tit  for  tat.  He  has  had  long 
visions  in  Pittsburgh,  revealing  to  him  wonderful  iniquity 
among  the  Saints.  Now,  if  he  knows  of  so  much  iniquity, 
and  has  got  such  wonderful  power,  why  don't  he  purge  it 
out  ?  He  professes  to  have  the  keys  of  David.  Wonderful 
power !  and  wonderful  revelation  !  And  so  he  will  publish 
our  iniquity  !  Oh,  dear  Brother  Sidney,  don't  publish  our 
iniquity  !  Pray  don't !  If  Sidney  Rigdon  undertakes  to  pub- 
lish all  our  secrets,  as  he  says,  he  will  lie  the  first  jump  he 
takes  !  If  he  knew  of  all  our  iniquity,  why  did  he  not  pub- 
lish it  sooner?  If  there  is  so  much  iniquity  in  the  Church, 
Elder  Rigdon,  and  you  have  known  of  it  so  long,  you  are  a 
black-hearted  wretch  not  to  have  published  it  sooner.  If 
there  is  not  this  iniquity,  you  are  a  black-hearted  wretch  for 
endeavoring  to  bring  a  mob  upon  us,  to  murder  innocent 
men,  women,  and  children  !  Any  man  that  says  the  Twelve 
are  ■  bogus  makers,'  adulterers,  or  wicked  men,  is  a  liar  ;  and 
all  who  say  such  things  shall  have  the  fate  of  liars,  where 
there  is  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth.  Who  is  there  that 
has  seen  us  do  such  things?  No  man.  The  spirit  that  I 
am  of  tramples  such  slanderous  wickedness  under  my  feet." 
He  concluded  by  expressing  his  firm  conviction,  that  Rigdon 
was  the  prime  cause  of  all  the  troubles  of  the  Saints  in  Mis- 
souri and  in  Illinois,  and  that  to  suffer  him  to  remain  in  the 
Church  was  to  court  destruction. 

A  few  voices  were  raised  in  favor  of  Rigdon,  but  they  had 
little  to  say.  The  feeling  of  the  Mormons  generally  was 
against  him  ;  for  it  was  felt  that  if  he  had  done  nothing  else 
to  injure  the  sect,  the  "spiritual  wife"  doctrine  was  alone 


TRIAL    OF    SIDNEY   RIGDON.  201 

sufficient  to  make  him  a  dangerous  ally.  The  evidence  hav- 
ing been  concluded,  Mr.  Phelps,  the  editor  of  the  Times  and 
Seasons,  moved  that  "  Sidney  Rigdon  be  cut  off  from  the 
Church,  and  handed  over  to  the  buffetings  of  Satan  until  he 
should  repent."  About  ten  hands  out  of  several  hundreds 
were  held  up  in  favor  of  Rigdon  ;  upon  which  he  was  formal- 
ly excommunicated  by  Brigham  Young,  "  who,"  says  the  re- 
port, "  delivered  him  over  to  the  buffetings  of  Satan  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  ;  and  all  the  people  said,  'Amen  !'  "  It  was 
then  moved,  seconded,  and  unanimously  carried,  that  the  ten 
persons  who  had  held  up  their  hands  for  Sidney  Rigdon  should 
be  suspended  from  their  fellowship  with  the  Church,  until 
brought  to  trial  before  the  High  Council.  To  this  an  amend- 
ment was  immediately  added,  that  all  who  should  hereafter 
advocate  Rigdon's  principles  should  also  be  suspended.  This, 
like  the  original  resolution,  was  carried  by  acclamation,  and 
thus  terminated  these  very  curious  proceedings. 

Brigham  Young  succeeded  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Church. 
Sidney  Rigdon,  unlike  Orson  Hyde,  Oliver  Covvdery,  Martin 
Harris,  and  some  others  originally  connected  with  Joseph 
Smith,  who  either  seceded,  proved  traitors,  or  were  excom- 
municated and  cut  off  from  the  Church,  has  never  been  re- 
admitted, or  sought  re-admittance  into  the  Mormon  body.  He 
has  stood  aloof,  and  founded  a  small  church  of  his  own  ;  and, 
what  is  probably  of  more  importance  to  the  Mormons,  he  has 
held  his  tongue.  As  regards  the  polity  of  the  Mormons,  it 
has  been  fortunate  for  them  that  in  a  time  of  peril  and  per- 
plexity, they  were  not  induced  to  entrust  themselves  to  his 
guidance.  Under  Brigham  Young,  and  his  able  manage- 
ment, they  speedily  assumed  a  high  position,  not  simply  as 
religionists,  but  as  citizens  of  the  United  States.  Under  Sid- 
ney Rigdon,  it  is  probable  the  sect  would  have  gone  to  pieces 
altogether. 

The  Missourians  and  anti-Mormons  slightly  relaxed  in  their 


202  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

hostility  after  the  death  of  the  Prophet  and  his  brother,  and 
for  a  twelve-month  affairs  went  on  more  quietly  in  the  city  of 
Nauvoo.  Brigham  Young-,  having  relieved  himself  of  the 
rivalry  of  Sidney  Rigdon,  carried  on  with  vigor  the  building 
of  the  Temple  and  the  Nauvoo  House  ;  in  order  to  fulfil  the 
"revelation,"  and  prove  to  the  Gentiles,  not  only  the  divinity 
of  Joseph  Smith's  mission,  but  the  power,  wealth,  and  perse- 
verance of  his  disciples. 

The  "  Saints"  were  in  great  spirits.  Persecution  had  made 
converts  for  them  in  many  quarters ;  and  those  who  had 
farms  in.  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  sold  them  and  came 
to  Nauvoo,  or  exchanged  their  land  in  those  States  for  land 
in  Illinois.  Mr.  Phelps,  in  a  letter  to  the  New  York  journal 
—  Tlie  Prophet,  gave  a  description  of  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  and 
the  state  of  the  Church  at  this  time,  which  is  almost  the  only 
record  that  has  been  preserved  of  the  fortunes  of  the  sect  at 
this  period  of  their  history  : — 

"  I  shall  not,"  he  said,  "  describe  the  localities  of  Nauvoo  now, 
because  I  shall  not  have  room  ;  but  as  to  the  facilities,  tranquillities, 
and  virtues  of  the  city,  they  are  not  equalled  on  the  globe.  The 
Saints,  since  Sidney,  the  great  'anti-Christ'  of  the  last  days,  and  his 
'  sons  of  Seeva,'  have  left  Nauvoo,  together  with  some  other  Simon 
Maguses,  or  foolish  virgins,  and  wicked  men  who  had  crept  in  to 
revel  on  the  bliss  of  Jehovah,  have  gone  also,  have  enjoyed  peace, 
union,  and  harmony. 

"  I  speak  advisedly  when  I  say  that  Nauvoo  is  the  best  place  in 
the  world.  No  vice  is  meant  to  be  tolerated  ;  no  grog-shops  allow- 
ed ;  nor  would  we  have  any  trouble,  if  it  were  not  for  our  lenity  in 
suffering  the  world,  as  I  shall  call  them,  to  come  in,  and  trade,  and 
enjoy  our  society,  as  they  say :  which  thing  has  made  us  the  only 
trouble  of  late.  These  pretended  friends  too  frequently,  like  old  Ba- 
laam's girls  when  let  in  among  the  young  men  of  Israel,  find  ad- 
mirers, and  break  the  ordinances  of  the  city,  and  then  '  Phineas's 
javelin'  touches  the  heart. 

"  The  Temple  is  up  as  high  as  the  caps  of  the  pilasters,  and  it 


COMPLETION    OF   THE    NAUVOO    TEMPLE.  203 

looks  majestic,  and  especially  to  me,  when  I  know  that  the  tithing, 
« the  mites  of  the  poor,'  thus  speaks  of  the  glory  of  God.  All  the 
description  that  is  necessary  to  give  you  now  is,  that  this  splendid 
model  of  Mormon  grandeur  exhibits  thirty  hewn  stone  pilasters, 
which  cost  about  three  thousand  dollars  a-piece.  The  base  is  a 
crescent  new  moon  ;  the  capitals,  near  fifty  feet  high  ;  the  sun,  with 
a  human  face  in  bold  relief,  about  two  and  a  half  feet  broad,  orna- 
mented with  rays  of  light  and  waves,  surmounted  by  two  hands 
holdino-  two  trumpets.  It  is  always  too  much  trouble  to  describe  an 
unfinished  building.  The  inside  work  is  now  going  forward  as  fast 
as  possible.  When  the  whole  structure  is  completed,  it  will  cost 
some  five  or  six  hundred  thousand  dollars ;  and,  as  Captain  Brown 
of  Tobosco,  near  the  ruins  of  Palenque,  said,  '  It  will  look  the  near- 
est like  the  splendid  remains  of  antiquity  in  Central  America  of  any- 
thing he  had  seen,  though  not  half  so  large.' 

"  The  temple  is  erected  from  white  limestone,  wrought  in  a  supe- 
rior style  ;  is  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  feet  by  eighty-three  feet 
square  ;  near  sixty  feet  high  ;  two  stories  in  the  clear,  and  two  half 
stories  in  the  recesses  over  the  arches  ;  four  tiers  of  windows,  two 
Gothic  and  two  round.  The  two  great  stories  will  each  have  two 
pulpits,  one  at  each  end,  to  accommodate  the  Melchizedek  and  Aaronic 
priesthoods,  graded  into  four  rising  seats — the  first  for  the  president 
of  the  elders  and  his  two  counsellors,  the  second  for  the  president  of 
the  high  priesthood  and  his  two  counsellors,  the  third  for  the  Mel- 
chizedek president  and  his  two  counsellors,  and  the  fourth  for  the 
president  of  the  whole  church  and  his  two  counsellors.  This  highest 
seat  is  where  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  used  to  crowd  in  '  to  Moses' 
seat.'     The  Aaronic  pulpit  at  the  other  end  is  the  same. 

"  The  fount  in  the  basement  story  is  for  the  baptism  of  the  living, 
for  health,  for  remission  of  sin,  and  for  the  salvation  of  the  dead,  as 
was  the  case  in  Solomon's  temple,  and  all  temples  that  God  com- 
mands to  be  built.  You  know  I  am  no  Gentile,  and,  of  course,  do 
not  believe  that  a  monastery,  cathedral,  chapel,  or  meeting-house, 
erected  by  the  notions  and  calculations  of  men,  has  any  more  sanc- 
tion from  God  than  any  common  house  in  Babylon. 

"  The  steeple  of  our  temple  will  be  high  enough  to  answer  for  a 
tower — between  one  hundred  and  two  hundred  feet  high.  But  I 
have  said  enough  about  the  Temple ;  when  finished  it  will  show 


204  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

more  wealth,  more  art,  more  science,  more  revelation,  more  splen- 
dor, and  more  God,  than  all  the  rest  of  the  world,  and  that  will  make 
it  a  Mormon  temple  : — '  God  and  liberty,'  patterned  somewhat  after 
the  order  of  our  forefathers,  which  were  after  the  order  of  eternity. 

"  The  other  public  buildings  in  Nauvoo,  besides  the  Temple,  are 
the  Seventies'  Hall,  the  Masonic  Hall,  and  Concert  Hall,  all  spacious, 
and  well  calculated  for  their  designated  purposes. 

<;  There  is  no  licensed  grocery  to  sell  or  give  away  liquors  of  any 
kind  in  the  city  ;  drunkards  are  scarce ;  the  probable  number  of  in- 
habitants is  14,000,  of  whom  nine  tenths  are  Mormons." 

Among  the  more  zealous  Mormons,  it  became  the  fashion 
at  this  time  to  disuse  the  word  Nauvoo,  and  to  call  the  place 
the  Holy  City,  or  the  City  of  Joseph.  When  the  "  capstone" 
of  the  Temple  was  laid  in  its  place,  their  joy  broke  out  in  a 
manner  which  highly  exasperated  the  people  of  the  neighbor- 
ing counties  The  first  low  rumblings  of  a  new  and  violent 
persecution  began  to  be  heard.  The  old  sores  had  never 
thoroughly  healed  ;  and  the  joy  of  the  Mormons  on  the  com- 
pletion of  their  temple,  which  vented  itself  in  vain-glorious 
boasts  of  the  partial  fulfilment  of  prophecies. — which  would 
not  be  thoroughly  fulfilled  until  the  whole  land  was  theirs, 
and  none  but  a  Mormon  permitted  to  remain  within  it,  from 
the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Atlantic, — were  not  of  a  nature 
to  allay  any  previously  existing  jealousy  or  ill-feeling.  Quar- 
rels occasionally  took  place  between  the  Saints  and  their 
neighbors  in  Hancock  County.  The  Mormons,  when  insulted, 
had  not  always  the  patience  to  forbear  from  retaliation  ;  and 
among  men  who  habitually  bore  arms  to  protect  themselves, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  the  conflicts  should  not  in  all  cases  have 
been  confined  to  words.  Skirmish  succeeded  skirmish,  until 
it  became  once  more  necessary  to  call  out  the  militia  for  the 
preservation  of  the  peace.  Regular  battles  ensued,  blood  was 
shed,  lives  were  lost,  and  the  exasperation  of  both  parties  was 
raised  even  beyond  its  former  height. 


RENEWED    TROUBLES    IN    ILLINOIS.  205 

The  Tunes  and  Seasons  of  the  15th  of  January,  1845 
announced  to  the  Saints  in  all  parts  of  the  world  that  the  in 
habitants  of  various  parts  of  Illinois  as  well  as  of  Missouri 
were  accumulating  charges  of  every  kind  against  the  Mor 
mons  with  the  view  of  sweeping  them  into  irretrievable  ruin 
Dr.  Foster,  in  his  newspaper,  the  Expositor,  continued  with 
the  usual  virulence  of  a  friend  converted  into  an  enemy,  to 
spread  abroad  defamatory  reports  against  the  "  Apostles"  and 
the  leading  Saints,  which  were  copied,  commented  upon,  and 
exaggerated  by  all  the  anti-Mormon  press  throughout  the 
Union,  and  especially  by  the  journals  in  the  more  immediate 
vicinity.  The  old  cry  of  expulsion  was  raised,  as  the  only 
means  of  restoring  peace.  A  meeting  of  the  Town  Council 
of  Nauvoo  was  held  on  the  13th  of  January,  to  consider  these 
reports  and  the  threatened  expulsion  of  the  Saints ;  and  a 
meeting  of  the  citizens  in  general  was  held  on  the  day  fol- 
lowing with  the  same  object.  A  few  extracts  from  the  reso- 
lutions passed  at  these  assemblies  will  show  the  extent  of  the 
charges  brought  against  the  Mormon  people,  and  the  manner 
in  which  their  leaders  resolved  to  meet  them.  An  address  is- 
sued by  D.  Spencer,  the  successor  of  Joseph  Smith  in  the 
mayoralty  of  Nauvoo,  and  countersigned  by  Willard  Richards, 
the  Recorder,  one  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  stated  "that  while 
the  Mormons  were  peaceable  and  loyal  to  the  constitution  and 
laws  of  their  country,  and  were  ever  willing  to  join  hands, 
with  their  honest  virtues  and  patriotism,  in  the  repressing  of 
crime  and  the  punishment  of  real  criminals,  they  left  their 
enemies  to  judge  whether  it  would  not  be  better  to  make 
Nauvoo  one  universal  burial-ground,  rather  than  suffer  them- 
selves to  be  driven  from  their  lawful  homes  by  such  high- 
handed oppression.  And  it  might  yet  become  a  question," 
they  added,  "  to  be  decided  by  the  community  whether  the 
Mormons,  after  having  seen  their  best  men  murdered  without 
redress,  would  quietly  allow  their  enemies  to  wrench  from 


206  HrSTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

them  the  last  shreds  of  their  constitutional  liberties  ;  ot 
whether  they  would  not  make  their  city  a  vast  sepulchre, 
and  be  buried  under  its  ruins  in  the  defence  of  their  rights." 
From  the  string  of  resolutions  appended  to  this  document,  it 
appears  that  the  crimes  laid  to  the  charge  of  the  Mormons 
were,  that  they  had  organized  a  regular  system  of  horse  and 
cattle  stealing,  and  other  plunder  throughout  the  State  ;  that 
Nauvoo  had  become  a  grand  receptacle  of  stolen  goods  ;  that 
every  coiner,  forger,  robber,  and  even  murderer  found  a  safe 
refuge  from  justice  within  its  walls;  and  that  the  Town 
Council  allowed  no  legal  process  of  any  kind  to  be  served 
within  the  limits  of  their  jurisdiction.  The  resolutions  admit- 
ted that  many  criminals  had  fled  for  refuge  to  Nauvoo  under 
the  mistaken  notion  that  they  would  be  screened  from  justice 
by  the  Mormons ;  but  alleged  that  these  criminals  were  not 
and  never  had  been  Mormons  ;  that  they  had  been  induced 
to  take  this  course  by  the  false  reports  of  the  anti-Mormon 
press  ;  and  that  in  every  case  they  had  been  delivered  up  to 
justice  when  demanded.  The  Town  Council  also  pledged 
itself  to  use  every  means  in  its  power  to  root  such  characters 
out  of  the  city,  and  deputed  fifty  delegates  to  proceed  to  all 
the  principal  towns  and  districts  in  the  neighborhood,  to  in- 
form the  people  of  the  falsehood  of  the  accusations  brought 
against  the  Saints,  and  to  demand  the  aid  of  all  the  well-dis- 
posed to  rid  the  country  of  the  thieves  and  blackguards  that 
swarmed  into  it.  A  conciliatory  message  from  Governor 
Ford,  published  shortly  afterwards,  expressed  his  belief  that 
the  charges  against  the  Mormons  as  a  body  were  utterly  un- 
founded ;  and  that  there  was  no  more  crime  in  the  City  of 
Nauvoo  than  in  any  other  of  a  corresponding  size  and  amount 
of  population  ;  and  called  upon  the  inhabitants,  whether  Mor- 
mons or  anti-Mormons,  to  preserve  the  peace  and  strictly  re- 
spect the  laws.  From  January  to  October,  1845,  the  Mor- 
mons "  lived  a  life  of  sturt  and  strife."     Every  man's  hand 


RENEWED    TROUBLES    IN    ILLINOIS.  207 

was  against  them  ;  and  not  only  riots,  but  regular  pitched 
battles  took  place.  The  Governor  was  called  upon  to  inter- 
fere actively  ;  and  a  meeting  of  delegates  from  the  nine  coun- 
ties surrounding  Nauvoo  was  convened  ;  at  which  it  was  as- 
serted by  all  the  speakers  that  there  would  be  no  peace  for 
Illinois  as  long  as  the  Mormons  remained  within  its  bounda- 
ries. The  delegates  pledged  themselves  to  support  each  other 
to  the  last  extremity  in  expelling  them  forcibly,  if  they  could 
not  otherwise  be  induced  to  go.  The  painful  circumstances 
in  which  the  Saints  at  Nauvoo  found  themselves,  and  the  his- 
tory of  the  persecution  which  they  suffered,  and  which  no 
doubt  they  brought  upon  themselves  by  their  assumption  of 
superior  holiness,  and  by  their  boasts,  daily  and  hourly  re- 
peated, that  they  would,  by  Divine  permission  and  aid,  drive 
out  all  who  were  not  of  their  Church,  were  detailed  in  an 
Official  Letter  to  the  Saints,  under  the  date  of  the  1st  of  No- 
vember, 1845.     This  document  ran  as  follows  : — 

"  After  we  had  begun  to  realize  the  abundance  of  one  of  the  most 
fruitful  seasons  known  for  a  long  time,  and  while  many  hundreds 
of  Saints  were  laboring  with  excessive  and  unwearied  diligence  to 
finish  the  Temple,  and  rear  the  Nauvoo  House,  suddenly,  in  the 
forepart  of  September,  the  mob  commenced  burning  the  houses  and 
grain  of  the  Saints  in  the  south  part  of  Hancock  County.  Though 
efforts  were  made  by  the  Sheriff  to  stay  the  torch  of  the  incendiary, 
and  parry  off  the  deluge  of  arson,  still  a  '  fire  and  sword'  party 
continued  the  work  of  destruction  for  about  a  week,  laying  in  ashes 
nearly  two  hundred  buildings,  and  much  grain.  Nor  is  this  all ;  as 
it  was  in  the  sickly  season,  many  feeble  persons,  thrown  out  into 
the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun,  or  wet  with  the  dampening  dews  of 
the  evening,  died,  being  persecuted  to  death  in  a  Christian  land  of 
law  and  order ;  and  while  they  were  fleeing  and  dying,  the  mob, 
embracing  doctors,  lawyers,  statesmen,  Christians  of  various  de- 
nominations, with  the  military  from  colonels  down,  were  busily  en- 
gaged in  filching  or  plundering,  taking  furniture,  cattle,  and  grain. 
In  the  midst  of  this  horrid  revelry,  having  failed  to  procure  aid 


208  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

among  the  '  old  citizens,'  the  Sheriff  summoned  a  sufficient  posse  to 
stay  the  '  fire-shower  of  ruin,'  but  not  until  some  of  the  offenders 
had  paid  for  the  aggression  with  their  lives. 

"  This,  however,  was  not  the  end  of  the  matter.  Satan  sits  in 
the  hearts  of  the  people  to  rule  for  evil,  and  the  surrounding  coun- 
ties began  to  fear  that  law,  religion,  and  equal  rights,  in  the  hands 
of  the  Latter-Day  Saints,  would  feel  after  iniquity,  or  terrify  their 
neighbors  to  larger  acts  of  '  reserved  rights,'  and  so  they  began  to 
open  a  larger  field  of  woe.  To  cut  this  matter  short,  they  urged 
the  necessity  (to  stop  the  effusion  of  blood)  to  expel  the  Church,  or, 
as  they  call  them,  the  Mormons,  from  the  United  States,  '  peaceably, 
if  they  could,  and  forcibly  if  they  must,'  unless  they  would  transport 
themselves  by  next  spring.  Taking  into  consideration  the  great 
value  of  life,  and  the  blessings  of  peace,  a  proposition,  upon  certain 
specified  conditions,  was  made  to  a  committee  of  Quincy,  and  which 
it  was  supposed,  from  the  actions  of  conventions,  was  accepted. 
But  we  are  sorry  to  say  that  the  continued  depredations  of  the  mob, 
and  the  acts  of  a  few  individuals,  have  greatly  lessened  the  confi- 
dence of  every  friend  of  law,  honor,  and  humanity,  in  everything 
promised  by  the  committees  and  conventions,  though  we  have 
already  made  great  advances  towards  fitting  for  a  move  next  spring. 

"  A  few  troops  stationed  in  the  county  have  not  entirely  kept  the 
mob  at  bay,  several  buildings  having  been  burnt  in  the  month  of 
October. 

"  We  shall,  however,  make  every  exertion  on  our  part,  as  we 
have  always  done,  to  preserve  the  law  and  our  engagements  sacred, 
and  leave  the  event  with  God,  for  he  is  sure. 

"  It  may  not  be  amiss  to  say,  that  the  continued  abuses,  persecu- 
tions, murders,  and  robberies,  practised  upon  us,  by  a  horde  of  land- 
pirates,  with  impunity  in  a  Christian  republic,  and  land  of  liberty 
(while  the  institutions  of  ;ustice  have  either  been  too  weak  to  afford 
us  protection  or  redress,  or  else  they  too  have  been  a  little  remiss), 
have  brought  us  to  the  solemn  conclusion  that  our  exit  from  the 
United  States  is  the  only  alternative  by  which  we  can  enjoy  our 
share  of  the  elements  which  our  Heavenly  Father  created  free 
for  all. 

"  We  then  can  shake  the  dust  from  our  garments,  suffering  wrong 
rather  than  do  wrong,  leaving  this  nation  alone  in  her  glory,  while 


RENEWED    TROUBLES    IN    ILLINOIS.  209 

the  residue  of  the  world  points  the  finger  of  scorn,  till  the  indigna- 
tion and  consumption  decreed  makes  a  full  end. 

"  In  our  patience  we  will  possess  our  souls,  and  work  out  a  more 
exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory,  preparing,  by  withdrawing 
the  power  and  priesthood  from  the  Gentiles,  for  the  great  consola- 
tion of  Israel,  when  the  wilderness  shall  blossom  as  the  rose,  and 
Babylon  fall  like  a  millstone  cast  into  the  sea.  The  just  shall  live 
by  faith ;  but  the  folly  of  fools  will  perish  with  their  bodies  of  cor- 
ruption :  then  shall  the  righteous  shine.     Amen." 

After  a  series  of  struggles  and  negotiations,  and  a  regular 
siege  of  the  city  of  Nauvoo  by  the  anti-Mormons,  of  which 
no  authentic  account  yet  appears  to  have  been  published, 
with  the  exception  of  the  short  and  interesting  summary  by 
Colonel  Kane,  to  be  referred  to  hereafter,  the  Saints  agreed 
to  leave  Illinois  in  the  spring  of  1846,  or  as  "soon  as  grass 
grew  and  water  ran  ;"  provided  that,  in  the  interval,  they 
should  not  be  molested,  and  that  they  should  be  allowed  time 
and  opportunity  to  sell  their  farms  and  properties,  and  remove 
beyond  the  limits  of  civilization. 

A  circular  of  the  High  Council  to  the  members  of  the 
Church  throughout  the  world,  which  was  published  on  20th 
of  January,  1846,  announced  that  the  Mormons  of  Nauvoo 
had  resolved  to  seek  a  home  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
The  document  is  too  curious  in  itself,  and  too  remarkable  in 
the  history  of  the  sect,  to  be  omitted  : — 

"  Beloved  Brethren  and  Friends, — We,  the  members  of  the 
High  Council  of  the  Church,  by  the  voice  of  all  her  authorities, 
have  unitedly  and  unanimously  agreed,  and  embrace  this  opportu- 
nity to  inform  you,  that  we  intend  to  set  out  into  the  Western  coun- 
try from  this  place,  some  time  in  the  early  part  of  the  month  of 
March,  a  company  of  pioneers,  consisting  mostly  of  young,  hardy 
men,  with  some  families.  These  are  destined  to  be  furnished  with 
an  ample  outfit ;  taking  with  them  a  printing-press,  farming  utensils 
of  all  kinds,  with  mill-irons  and  bolting  cloths,  seeds  of  all  kinds, 
grain,  &c. 

14 


210  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

"  The  object  of  this  early  move  is,  to  put  in  a  spring  crop,  to 
build  houses,  and  to  prepare  for  the  reception  of  families  who  will 
start  so  soon  as  grass  shall  be  sufficiently  grown  to  sustain  teams 
and  stock.  Our  pioneers  are  instructed  to  proceed  West  till  they 
find  a  good  place  to  make  a  crop,  in  some  good  valley  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  where  they  will  infringe  upon  no 
one,  and  be  not  likely  to  be  infringed  upon.  Here  we  will  make  a 
resting-place,  until  we  can  determine  a  place  for  a  permanent  location. 
In  the  event  of  the  President's  recommendation  to  build  block- 
houses and  stockade  forts  on  the  route  to  Oregon  becoming  a  law, 
we  have  encouragements  of  having  that  work  to  do ;  and  under  our 
peculiar  circumstances,  we  can  do  it  with  less  expense  to  the  Gov- 
ernment than  any  other  people.  We  also  further  declare,  for  the 
satisfaction  of  some  who  have  concluded  that  our  grievances  have 
alienated  us  from  our  country,  that  our  patriotism  has  not  been  over- 
come by  fire — by  sword — by  daylight  nor  by  midnight  assassina- 
tions, which  we  have  endured,  neither  have  they  alienated  us  from 
the  institutions  of  our  country.  Should  hostilities  arise  between 
the  Government  of  the  United  States  and  any  other  power,  in  rela- 
tion to  the  right  of  possessing  the  territory  of  Oregon,  we  are  on 
hand  to  sustain  the  claim  of  the  United  States  Government  to  that 
country.  It  is  geographically  ours  ;  and  of  right,  no  foreign  power 
should  hold  dominion  there;  and  if  our  services  are  required  to  pre- 
vent it,  those  services  will  be  cheerfully  rendered  according  to  our 
ability.  We  feel  the  injuries  that  we  have  sustained,  and  are  not 
insensible  of  the  wrongs  we  have  suffered.  Still  we  are  Ameri- 
cans ;  and  should  our  country  be  invaded,  we  hope  to  do,  at  least, 
as  much  as  did  the  conscientious  Quaker  who  took  his  passage  on 
board  a  merchant  ship,  and  was  attacked  by  pirates.  The  pirate 
boarded  the  merchantman,  and  one  of  the  enemies'  men  fell  into 
the  water  between  the  two  vessels,  but  seized  a  rope  that  was  hung 
over,  and  was  pulling  himself  up  on  board  the  merchantman.  The 
conscientious  Quaker  saw  this,  and  though  he  did  not  like  to  fight, 
he  took  his  jack-knife,  and  quickly  moved  to  the  scene,  saying  to  the 
pirate, '  If  thee  wants  that  piece  of  rope  I  will  help  thee  to  it.'  He 
cut  the  rope  asunder — the  pirate  fell — and  a  watery  grave  was  his 
resting-place. 

"  Much  of  our  property  will  be  left  in  the  hands  of  competent 


EXPULSION  OF  THE  MORMONS  FROM  NAUVOO.     211 

agents  for  sale  at  a  low  rate,  for  teams,  for  goods,  and  for  cash. 
The  funds  arising  from  the  sale  of  property  will  be  applied  to  the 
removal  of  families  from  time  to  time  as  fast  as  consistent,  and  it 
now  remains  to  be  proven  whether  those  of  our  families  and  friends 
who  are  necessarily  left  behind  for  a  season  to  obtain  an  outfit, 
through  the  sale  of  property,  shall  be  mobbed,  burnt,  and  driven 
away  by  force.  Does  any  American  want  the  honor  of  doing  it  ? 
or  will  Americans  suffer  such  acts  to  be  done,  and  the  disgrace  of 
them  to  rest  on  their  character  under  existing  circumstances  ?  If 
they  will,  let  the  world  know  it.     But  we  do  not  believe  they  will. 

"  We  agreed  to  leave  the  country  for  the  sake  of  peace,  upon  the 
condition  that  no  more  vexatious  prosecutions  be  instituted  against 
us.  In  good  faith  have  we  labored  to  fulfil  this  engagement.  Gov- 
ernor Ford  has  also  done  his  duty  to  further  our  wishes  in  this  re- 
spect. But  there  are  some  who  are  unwilling  that  we  should  have 
an  existence  anywhere.  But  our  destinies  are  in  the  hands  of  God, 
and  so  also  is  theirs. 

"  We  venture  to  say  that  our  brethren  have  made  no  counterfeit 
money  ;  and  if  any  miller  has  received  fifteen  hundred  dollars  base 
coin  in  a  week  from  us,  let  him  testify.  If  any  land-agent  of  the 
General  Government  has  received  wagon-loads  of  base  coin  from 
us  in  payment  for  lands,  let  him  say  so ;  or  if  he  has  received  any  at 
all  from  us,  let  him  tell  it.  Those  witnesses  against  us  have  spun 
a  long  yarn ;  but  if  our  brethren  had  never  used  an  influence  against 
them  to  break  them  up,  and  to  cause  them  to  leave  our  city,  after 
having  satisfied  themselves  that  they  were  engaged  in  the  very 
business  of  which  they  accuse  us,  their  revenge  might  never  have 
been  roused  to  father  upon  us  their  own  illegitimate  and  bogus  pro- 
ductions. 

"  We  have  never  tied  a  black  strap  round  any  person's  neck, 
neither  have  we  cut  their  bowels  out,  nor  fed  any  to  the  '  Cat-fish.' 
The  systematic  order  of  stealing,  of  which  these  grave  witnesses 
speak,  must  certainly  be  original  with  them.  Such  a  plan  could 
never  originate  with  any  person,  except  some  one  who  wished  to  fan 
the  flames  of  death  or  destruction  around  us.  The  very  dregs  of 
malice  and  revenge  are  mingled  in  the  statements  of  those  witnesses 
alluded  to  by  the  Sangamo  Journal.    We  should  think  that  every 


212  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

man  of  sense  might  see  this.     In  fact,  many  editors  do  see  it,  and 
they  have  our  thanks  for  speaking  of  it. 

"  We  have  now  stated  our  feelings,  our  wishes,  and  our  inten- 
tions ;  and  by  them  we  are  willing  to  abide  ;  and  such  editors  as  are 
willing  that  we  should  live,  and  not  die.  and  have  a  being  on  the 
earth  while  Heaven  is  pleased  to  lengthen  out  our  days,  are  respect- 
fully requested  to  publish  this  article.  And  men  who  wish  to  buy 
property  very  cheap,  to  benefit  themselves,  and  are  willing  to  benefit 
us,  are  invited  to  call  and  look  ;  and  our  prayer  shall  ever  be,  that 
justice  and  judgment,  mercy  and  truth,  may  be  exalted,  not  only  in 
our  own  land,  but  throughout  the  world,  and  the  will  of  God  be  done 
on  earth  as  it  is  done  in  heaven. 

"  Done  in  Council  at  the  City  of  Nauvoo,  on  the  20th  day  of  Jan- 
uary, 1846. 

"  Samuel  Bent.  "  Newel  Knight. 

James  Allred.  Lewis  D.  Wilson. 

George  W.  Harris.  Ezra  T.  Benson. 

William  Huntington.  David  Fullmer. 

Henry  G.  Sherwood.  Thomas  Grover. 

Alpheus  Cutler.  Aaron  Johnson." 

The  first  companies  of  the  Mormons  commenced  crossing 
the  Mississippi  on  the  3d  of  February,  1846.  They  amounted 
to  1,600  men,  women,  and  children,  and  passed  the  river  on 
the  ice.  They  continued  to  leave  in  detachments,  or  compa- 
nies of  similar  magnitude,  until  July  and  August,  travelling 
by  ox-teams  towards  California,  then  almost  unknown,  and 
quite  unpeopled  by  the  Anglo-Saxon  race. 

The  anti-Mormons  asserted  that  the  intention  of  the  Saints 
was  to  excite  the  Indians  against  the  commonwealth,  and 
that  they  would  return  at  the  head  of  a  multitude  of  the  Red 
Skins  to  take  vengeance  upon  the  white  people  for  the  indig- 
nities they  had  suffered .  Nothing  appears  to  have  been  further 
from  the  intentions  of  the  Mormons.  Their  sole  object  was 
to  plant  their  Church  in  some  fertile  and  hitherto  undiscovered 
spot,  where  they  might  worship  God  in  their  own  fashion,  un- 


EXPULSION   OF   THE   MORMONS   FEOM   NAUVOO. 


EXPULSION    OF    THE    MORMONS    FROM    NAUVOO.  215 

molested  by  any  other  sect  of  Christians.  The  war  against 
Mexico  was  then  raging,  and  to  test  the  loyalty  of  the  Mor- 
mons, it  was  suggested  by  their  foes  that  a  demand  should  be 
made  upon  them  to  raise  five  hundred  men  for  the  service  of 
the  country.  The  Mormons  obeyed,  and  five  hundred  of 
their  best  men  enrolled  themselves  under  the  command  of 
General  Kearney,  and  marched  2,400  miles  with  the  armies 
of  the  United  States,  At  the  conclusion  of  the  Mexican  war, 
they  were  disbanded  in  Upper  California.  The  Mormons  al- 
lege that  it  was  one  of  this  band  who,  in  working  at  a  mill, 
first  discovered  the  golden  treasures  of  California  ;  and  the 
"  Saints"  are  said  to  have  succeeded  in  amassing  large  quan- 
tities of  the  precious  metal  before  the  secret  was  made  gen- 
erally known  to  the  "  Gentiles." 

But  faith  was  not  kept  with  the  Mormons  who  remained 
in  Nauvoo.  Although  they  had  agreed  to  leave  in  detach- 
ments, they  were  not  allowed  the  necessary  time  to  dispose 
of  their  property ;  and,  in  September,  1846,  the  city  was  be- 
sieged by  their  enemies,  upon  the  pretence,  that  they  did  not 
intend  to  fulfil  the  stipulations  made  with  the  people  and  au- 
thorities of  Illinois.  After  a  three  days'  bombardment,  the 
last  remnant  was  finally  driven  out  by  fire  and  sword.  The 
details  will  be  found  in  the  following  chapter. 


CHAPTEE  VIII. 

Depaetuee  of  the  Moemons  foe  the  Geeat  Salt  Lake  Val- 
ley— Colonel  Kane's  Desceiption  of  Nauvoo  aftee  the 
Siege — The  Exodus  of  the  People — Incidents  of  Teavel — 
Aeeival  in  Lowee  Califoenia — The  Geeat  Salt  Lae^:. 

The  "  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley"  was  ultimately  fixed  upon 
as  the  halting- place  and  future  home  of  the  sect ;  and  thither 
the  successive  detachments  of  Mormons  had  directed  their 
steps.  Whilst  one  party  went  overland  to  Upper  California, 
another  party  chartered  the  ship  Brooklyn,  at  New  York,  and 
sailed  round  to  the  Pacific,  by  Cape  Horn.  This  party  was 
amongst  the  earliest  of  the  arrivals  in  California,  and  its 
members  were  exceedingly  fortunate  at  the  "  diggings,"  and 
amassed  large  quantities  of  gold. 

But  the  great  bulk  of  the  Mormons  proceeded  overland  to 
the  Valley  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake ;  a  remarkable  pilgrimage, 
which  has  not  been  paralleled  in  the  history  of  mankind  since 
Moses  led  the  Israelites  from  Egypt.  The  distance  to  be 
traversed  was  enormous — the  perils  of  the  way  were  great — 
the  whole  circumstances  were  highly  interesting  and  peculiar, 
and  the  zeal  and  courage  of  the  sect  were  as  remarkable  as 
their  faith.  It  is  fortunate  that  a  record  of  these  events  of 
the  Mormon  exodus  was  kept  by  a  person  who  knew  how  to 
use  his  eyes,  his  understanding,  and  his  pen  ;  and  that  he  has 
been  induced  to  give  it  to  the  world.  The  following  narra- 
tive of  Colonel  Kane,  who  accompanied  the  Mormons  from 
Nauvoo  to  the  Salt  Lake,  has  all  the  interest  of  a  romance. 


NAUVOO    AFTER    THE    SIEGE.  21 7 

It  was  originally  delivered  as  a  lecture  before  the  Historical 
Society  of  Pennsylvania,  and  is  here  reproduced  from  the 
American  edition  : — 

A  few  years  ago  (said  Colonel  Kane),  ascending  the  Upper 
Mississippi  in  the  autumn  when  its  waters  were  low,  I  was 
compelled  to  travel  by  land  past  the  region  of  the  Rapids. 
My  road  lay  through  the  Half-Breed  Tract,  a  fine  section  of 
Iowa,  which  the  unsettled  state  of  its  land-titles  had  appro- 
priated as  a  sanctuary  for  coiners,  horse-thieves,  and  other 
outlaws.  I  had  left  my  steamer  at  Keokuk,  at  the  foot  of  the 
Lower  Fall,  to  hire  a  carriage,  and  to  contend  for  some  frag- 
ments of  a  dirty  meal  with  the  swarming  flies,  the  only  scav- 
engers of  the  locality.  From  this  place  to  where  the  deep 
water  of  the  river  returns,  my  eye  wearied  to  see  everywhere 
sordid,  vagabond,  and  idle  settlers  ;  and  a  country  marred, 
without  being  improved,  by  their  careless  hands. 

I  was  descending  the  last  hill-side  upon  my  journey,  when 
a  landscape  in  delightful  contrast  broke  upon  my  view.  Half 
encircled  by  a  bend  of  the  river,  a  beautiful  city  lay  glitter- 
ing in  the  fresh  morning  sun  ;  its  bright,  new  dwellings,  set 
in  cool,  green  gardens,  ranging  up  around  a  stately  dome- 
shaped  hill,  which  was  crowned  by  a  noble  marble  edifice, 
whose  high,  tapering  spire  was  radiant  with  white  and  gold. 
The  city  appeared  to  cover  several  miles  ;  and  beyond  it,  in 
the  background,  there  rolled  off  a  fair  country,  chqeuered 
by  the  careful  lines  of  fruitful  husbandry.  The  unmistaka- 
ble marks  of  industry,  enterprise,  and  educated  wealth  every- 
where, made  the  scene  one  of  singular  and  most  striking 
beauty. 

It  was  a  natural  impulse  to  visit  this  inviting  region.  I 
procured  a  skiff,  and  rowing  across  the  river,  landed  at  the 
chief  wharf  of  the  city.  No  one  met  me  there.  I  looked, 
and  saw  no  one.  I  could  hear  no  one  move ;  though  the 
quiet  everywhere  was  such  that  I  heard  the  flies  buzz,  and 


218  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

the  water- ripples  break  against  the  shallow  of  the  beach.  I 
walked  through  the  solitary  streets.  The  town  lay  as  in  a 
dream,  under  some  deadening  spell  of  loneliness,  from  which 
I  almost  feared  to  wake  it ;  for  plainly  it  had  not  slept  long. 
There  was  no  grass  growing  up  in  the  paved  ways  ;  rains  had 
not  entirely  washed  away  the  prints  of  dusty  footsteps. 

Yet  I  went  about  unchecked.  I  went  into  empty  work- 
shops, rope-walks,  and  smithies.  The  spinner's  wheel  was 
idle  ;  the  carpenter  had  gone  from  his  work-bench  and  shav- 
ings, his  unfinished  sash  and  casing.  Fresh  bark  was  in  the 
tanner's  vat,  and  the  fresh-chopped  lightwood  stood  piled 
against  the  baker's  oven.  The  blacksmith's  shop  was  cold  ; 
but  his  coal  heap,  and  ladling  pool,  and  crooked  water  horn, 
were  all  there,  as  if  he  had  just  gone  off  for  a  holiday.  No 
work-people  anywhere  looked  to  know  my  errand.  If  I  went 
into  the  gardens,  clinking  the  wicket-latch  loudly  after  me,  to 
pull  the  marygolds,  heartVease,  and  lady-slippers,  and  draw 
a  drink  with  the  water-sodden  well-bucket  and  its  noisy  chain  ; 
or,  knocking  off  with  my  stick  the  tall  heavy-headed  daliahs 
and  sun-flowers,  hunted  over  the  beds  for  cucumbers  and  love- 
apples — no  one  called  out  to  me  from  any  opened  window,  or 
dog  sprang  forward  to  bark  and  alarm.  I  could  have  sup- 
posed the  people  hidden  in  the  houses,  but  the  doors  were  un- 
fastened ;  and  when  at  last  I  timidly  entered  them,  1  found 
dead  ashes  white  upon  the  hearths,  and  had  to  tread  a-tiptoe, 
as  if  walking  down  the  aisle  of  a  country  church,  to  avoid 
rousing  irreverent  echoes  from  the  naked  floors. 

On  the  outskirts  of  the  town  was  the  city  graveyard  ;  but 
there  was  no  record  of  plague  there,  nor  did  it  in  anywise  dif- 
fer much  from  other  Protestant  American  cemeteries.  Some 
of  the  mounds  were  not  long  sodded  ;  some  of  the  stones  were 
newly  set,  their  dates  recent,  and  their  black  inscriptions 
glossy  in  the  mason's  hardly  dried  lettering  ink.  Beyond  the 
graveyard,  out  in  the  fields,  I  saw,  in  one  spot  hard  by  where 


NAUVOO    AFTER    THE    SIEGE.  219 

the  fruited  boughs  of  a  young  orchard  had  been  roughly  torn 
down,  the  still  smouldering  remains  of  a  barbecue  lire,  that 
had  been  constructed  of  rails  from  the  fencing  round  it.  It 
was  the  latest  sign  of  life  there.  Fields  upon  fields  of  heavy- 
headed  yellow  grain  lay  rotting  ungathered  upon  the  ground. 
No  one  was  at  hand  to  take  in  their  rich  harvest.  As  far  as 
the  eye  could  reach,  they  stretched  away — they  sleeping  too 
in  the  hazy  air  of  autumn. 

Only  two  portions  of  the  city  seemed  to  suggest  the  import 
of  this  mysterious  solitude.  On  the  southern  suburb,  the 
houses  looking  out  upon  the  country  showed,  by  their  splin- 
tered wood-work,  and  walls  battered  to  the  foundation,  that 
they  had  lately  been  the  mark  of  a  destructive  cannonade. 
And  in  and  around  the  splendid  Temple,  which  had  been  the 
chief  object  of  my  admiration,  armed  men  were  barracked, 
surrounded  by  their  stacks  of  musketry  and  pieces  of  heavy 
ordnance.  These  challenged  me  to  render  an  account  of  my- 
self, and  why  I  had  had  the  temerity  to  cross  the  water  with- 
out a  written  permit  from  a  leader  of  their  band. 

Though  these  men  were  generally  more  or  less  under  the 
influence  of  ardent  spirits,  after  I  had  explained  myself  as  a 
passing  stranger,  they  seemed  anxious  to  gain  my  good  opin- 
ion. They  told  the  story  of  the  Dead  City :  that  it  had  been 
a  notable  manufacturing  and  commercial  mart,  sheltering 
over  20,000  persons;  that  they  had  waged  war  with  its  in- 
habitants for  several  years,  and  had  been  finally  successful 
only  a  few  days  before  my  visit,  in  an  action  fought  in  front 
of  the  ruined  suburb  ;  after  which,  they  had  driven  them 
forth  at  the  point  of  the  sword.  The  defence,  they  said,  had 
been  obstinate,  but  gave  way  on  the  third  day's  bombard- 
ment. They  boasted  greatly  of  their  prowess,  especially  in 
this  battle,  as  they  called  it ;  but  I  discovered  they  were  not 
of  one  mind  as  to  certain  of  the  exploits  that  had  distinguished 
it ;  one  of  which,  as  I  remember,  was,  that  they  had  slain  a 


220  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

father  and  his  son,  a  boy  of  fifteen,  not  long  residents  of  the 
fated  city,  whom  they  admitted  to  have  borne  a  character 
without  reproach. 

They  also  conducted  me  inside  the  massive  sculptured  walls 
of  the  curious  Temple,  in  which  they  said  the  banished  in- 
habitants were  accustomed  to  celebrate  the  mystic  rites  of  an 
unhallowed  worship  They  particularly  pointed  out  to  me 
certain  features  of  the  building,  which,  having  been  the  pe- 
culiar objects  of  a  former  superstitious  regard,  they  had,  as 
matter  of  duty,  sedulously  defiled  and  defaced.  The  reputed 
sites  of  certain  shrines  they  had  thus  particularly  noticed  ; 
and  various  sheltered  chambers,  in  one  of  which  was  a  deep 
well,  constructed,  they  believed,  wfth  a  dreadful  design.  Be- 
side these,  they  led  me  to  see  a  large  and  deep  chiselled  mar- 
ble vase  or  basin,  supported  upon  twelve  oxen,  also  of  marble, 
and  of  the  size  of  life,  of  which  they  told  some  romantic 
stories.  They  said  the  deluded  persons,  most  of  whom  were 
emigrants  from  a  great  distance,  believed  their  Deity  counte- 
nanced their  reception  here  of  a  baptism  of  regeneration,  as 
proxies  for  whomsoever  they  held  in  warm  affection  in  the 
countries  from  which  they  had  come.  That  here  parents 
"  went  into  the  water"  for  their  lost  children,  children  for 
their  parents,  widows  for  their  spouses,  and  young  persons  for 
their  lovers ;  that  thus  the  Great  Yase  came  to  be  for  them 
associated  with  all  dear  and  distant  memories,  aud  was  there- 
fore the  object,  of  all  others  in  the  building,  to  which  they  at- 
tached the  greatest  degree  of  idolatrous  affection.  On  this 
account,  the  victors  had  so  diligently  desecrated  it,  as  to  ren- 
der the  apartment  in  which  it  was  contained  too  noisome  to 
abide  in. 

They  permitted  me  also  to  ascend  into  the  steeple,  to  see 
where  it  had  been  lightning-struck  on  the  Sabbath  before  ; 
and  to  look  out,  east  and  south,  on  wasted  farms  like  those  I 
had  seen  near  the  city,  extending  till  they  were  lost  in  the 


NAUVOO    AFTER   THE    SIEGE.  221 

distance.  Here,  in  the  face  of  the  pure  day,  close  to  the  scar 
of  the  Divine  wrath  left  by  the  thunderbolt,  were  fragments 
of  food,  cruises  of  liquor,  and  broken  drinking  vessels,  with  a 
brass  drum  and  a  steam-boat  signal  bell,  of  which  I  afterwards 
learned  the  use  with  pain. 

It  was  after  nightfall,  when  I  was  ready  to  cross  the  river 
on  my  return.  The  wind  had  freshened  since  the  sunset, 
and  the  water  beating  roughly  into  my  little  boat,  I  hedged 
higher  up  the  stream  than  the  point  I  had  left  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  landed  where  a  faint  glimmering  light  invited  me  to 
steer. 

Here,  among  the  dock  and  rushes,  sheltered  only  by  the 
darkness,  without  roof  between  them  and  sky,  I  came  upon  a 
crowd  of  several  hundred  human  creatures,  whom  my  move- 
ments roused  from  uneasy  slumber  upon  the  ground. 

Passing  these  on  my  way  to  the  light,  I  found  it  came  from 
a  tallow  candle  in  a  paper  funnel  shade,  such  as  is  used  by 
street  venders  of  apples  and  pea-nuts,  and  which,  flaming  and 
guttering  away  in  the  bleak  air  off  the  water,  shone  flicker- 
ingly  on  the  emaciated  features  of  a  man  in  the  last  stage  of 
a  bilious  remittent  fever.  They  had  done  their  best  for  him. 
Over  his  head  was  something  like  a  tent,  made  of  a  sheet  or 
two,  and  he  rested  on  a  but  partiaily  ripped  open  old  straw 
mattress,  with  a  hair  sofa-cushion  under  his  head  for  a  pillow. 
His  gaping  jaw  and  glazing  eye  told  how  short  a  time  he 
would  monopolize  these  luxuries  ;  though  a  seemingly  bewil- 
dered and  excited  person,  who  might  have  been  his  wife, 
seemed  to  find  hope  in  occasionally  forcing  him  to  swallow 
awkwardly,  sips  of  the  tepid  river  water,  from  a  burned  and 
battered  bitter-smelling  tin  coffee-pot.  Those  who  knew  bet- 
ter had  furnished  the  apothecary  he  needed  ;  a  toothless  old 
bald-head,  whose  manner  had  the  repulsive  dulness  of  a  man 
familiar  with  death  scenes.  He,  so  long  as  I  remained, 
mumbled  in  his  patient's  ear  a  monotonous  and  melancholy 


222  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS, 

prayer,  between  the  pauses  of  which  I  heard  the  hiccup  and 
sobbing  of  two  little  girls,  who  were  sitting  up  on  a  piece  of 
drift-wood  outside. 

Dreadful,  indeed,  was  the  suffering  of  these  forsaken  beings  ; 
bowed  and  cramped  by  cold  and  sunburn,  alternating  as  each 
weary  day  and  night  dragged  on,  they  were,  almost  all  of 
them,  the  crippled  victims  of  disease.  They  were  there  be- 
cause they  had  no  homes,  nor  hospital,  nor  poor-house,  nor 
friends  to  offer  them  any.  They  could  not  satisfy  the  feeble 
cravings  of  their  sick  :  they  had  not  bread  to  quiet  the  frac- 
tious hunger-cries  of  their  children.  Mothers  and  babes, 
daughters  and  grand-parents,  all  of  them  alike,  were  bivou- 
acked in  tatters,  wanting  even  covering  to  comfort  those  whom 
the  sick  shiver  of  fever  was  searching  to  the  marrow. 

These  were  Mormons,  in  Lee  County,  Iowa,  in  the  fourth 
week  of  the  month  of  September,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1846. 
The  city — it  was  Nauvoo,  Illinois.  The  Mormons  were  the 
owners  of  that  city,  and  the  smiling  country  around.  And 
those  who  had  stopped  their  ploughs,  who  had  silenced  their 
hammers,  their  axes,  their  shuttles,  and  their  workshop  wheels ; 
those  who  had  put  out  their  fires,  who  had  eaten  their  food, 
spoiled  their  orchards,  and  trampled  under  foot  their  thou- 
sands of  acres  of  unharvested  bread  ;  these  were  the  keepers 
of  their  dwellings,  the  carousers  in  their  temple,  whose  drunk- 
en riot  insulted  the  ears  of  the  dying. 

I  think  it  was  as  I  turned  from  the  wretched  nightwatch 
of  which  I  have  spoken,  that  I  first  listened  to  the  sounds  of 
revel  of  a  party  of  the  guard  within  the  city.  Above  the  dis- 
tant hum  of  the  voices  of  many,  occasionally  rose  distinct  the 
loud  oath-tainted  exclamation,  and  the  falsely  intonated  scrap 
of  vulgar  song  :  but  lest  this  requiem  should  go  unheeded, 
every  now  and  then,  when  their  boisterous  orgies  strove  to  at- 
tain a  sort  of  ecstatic  climax,  a  cruel  spirit  of  insulting  frolic 
carried  some  of  them  up  into  the  high  belfry  of  the  Temple 


THE    EXODUS    OF    THE    MORMONS.  223 

steeple,  and  there,  with  the  wicked  childishness  of  inebriates, 
they  whooped,  and  shrieked,  and  beat  the  drum  that  I  had 
seen,  and  rang  in  charivaric  unison  their  loud-tongued  steam- 
boat bell. 

They  were,  all  told,  not  more  than  six  hundred  and  forty 
persons  who  were  thus  lying  on  the  river  flats.  But  the 
Mormons  in  Nauvoo  and  its  dependencies  had  been  numbered 
the  year  before  at  over  twenty  thousand.  Where  were  they? 
They  had  last  been  seen,  carrying  in  mournful  train  their 
sick  and  wounded,  halt  and  blind,  to  disappear  behind  the 
western  horizon,  pursuing  the  phantom  of  another  home. 
Hardly  anything  else  was  known  of  them  :  and  people  asked 
with  curiosity,  '  What  had  been  their  fate — what  their  for- 
tunes?' 

Since  the  expulsion  of  the  Mormons  to  the  present  date,  I 
have  been  intimately  conversant  with  the  details  of  their  his- 
tory. But  I  shall  invite  your  attention  most  particularly  to 
an  account  of  what  happened  to  them  during  their  first  year 
in  the  wilderness  ;  because  at  this  time  more  than  any  other, 
being  lost  to  public  view,  they  were  the  subjects  of  fable  and 
misconception.  Happily  it  was  during  this  period  I  myself 
moved  with  them  ;  and  earned,  at  dear  price,  as  some  among 
you  are  aware,  my  right  to  speak  with  authority  of  them  and 
their  character,  their  trials,  achievements,  and  intentions. 

The  party  encountered  by  me  at  the  river  shore  were  the 
last  of  the  Mormons  that  left  the  city.  They  had  all  of  them 
engaged,  the  year  before,  that  they  would  vacate  their  homes, 
and  seek  some  other  place  of  refuge.  It  had  been  the  condi- 
tion of  a  truce  between  them  and  their  assailants  ;  and  as  an 
earnest  of  their  good  faith,  the  chief  elders,  and  some  others  of 
obnoxious  standing,  with  their  families,  were  to  set  out  for  the 
West  in  the  spring  of  1846.  It  had  been  stipulated  in  return, 
that  the  rest  of  the  Mormons  might  remain  behind  in  the 
peaceful  enjoyment  of  the  Illinois  abode,  until  their  leaders, 


224  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

with  their  exploring  party,  could,  with  all  diligence,  select 
for  them  a  new  place  of  settlement  beyond  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, in  California,  or  elsewhere,  and  until  they  had  oppor- 
tunity to  dispose,  to  the  best  advantage,  of  the  property  which 
they  were  then  to  leave. 

Some  renewed  symptoms  of  hostile  feeling  had,  however, 
determined  the  pioneer  party  to  begin  their  work  before  the 
spring.  It  was,  of  course,  anticipated  that  this  would  be  a 
perilous  service  ;  but  it  was  regarded  as  a  matter  of  self-de- 
nying duty.  The  ardor  and  emulation  of  many,  particularly 
the  devout  and  the  young,  were  stimulated  by  the  difficulties 
it  involved  ;  and  the  ranks  of  the  party  were  therefore  filled 
up  with  volunteers  from  among  the  most  effective  and  re- 
sponsible members  of  the  sect.  They  began  their  march  in 
mid- winter ;  and  by  the  beginning  of  February,  nearly  all  of 
them  were  on  the  road,  many  of  the  wagons  having  crossed 
the  Mississippi  on  the  ice. 

Under  the  most  favoring  circumstances,  an  expedition  of 
this  sort,  undertaken  at  such  a  season  of  the  year,  could 
scarcely  fail  to  be  disastrous.  But  the  pioneer  company  had 
set  out  in  haste,  and  were  very  imperfectly  supplied  with  ne- 
cessaries. The  cold  was  intense.  They  moved  in  the  teeth 
of  keen-edged  north-west  winds,  such  as  sweep  down  the  Iowa 
Peninsula  from  the  ice-bound  regions  of  the  timber-shaded 
Slave  Lake  and  Lake  of  the  Woods  ;  on  the  Bald  Prairie 
there,  nothing  above  the  dead  grass  breaks  their  free  course 
over  the  hard-rolled  hills.  Even  along  the  scattered  water- 
courses, where  they  broke  the  thick  ice  to  give  their  cattle 
drink,  the  annual  autumn  fires  had  left  little  wood  of  value. 
The  party,  therefore,  often  wanted  for  good  camp  fires,  the 
first  luxury  of  all  travellers ;  but,  to  men  insufficiently  fur- 
nished with  tents  and  other  appliances  of  shelter,  almost  an 
essential  to  life.  After  days  of  fatigue,  their  nights  were  often 
past  in  restless  efforts  to  save  themselves  from  freezing.    Their 


THE  EXODUS  OF  THE  MORMONS.  225 

stock  of  food,  also  proved  inadequate  ;  and  as  their  systems 
became  impoverished,  their  suffering  from  cold  increased. 

Sickened  with  catarrhal  affections,  manacled  by  the  fetters 
of  dreadfully  acute  rheumatisms,  some  contrived  for  a  while 
to  get  over  the  shortening  day's  march,  and  drag  along  some 
others.  But  the  sign  of  an  impaired  circulation  soon  began 
to  show  itself  in  the  liability  of  all  to  be  dreadfully  frost-bitten. 
The  hardiest  and  strongest  became  helplessly  crippled.  About 
the  same  time,  the  strength  of  their  beasts  of  draught  began 
to  fail.  The  small  supply  of  provender  they  could  carry  with 
them  had  given  out.  The  winter-bleached  prairie  straw 
proved  devoid  of  nourishment ;  and  they  could  only  keep  them 
from  starving  by  seeking  for  the  browse,  as  it  is  called,  a  green 
bark,  and  tender  buds,  and  branches  of  the  cotton-wood,  and 
other  stinted  growths  of  the  hollows. 

To  return  to  Nauvoo  was  apparently  the  only  escape  ;  but 
this  would  have  been  to  give  occasion  for  fresh  mistrust,  and 
so  to  bring  new  trouble  to  those  they  had  left  there  behind 
them.  They  resolved  at  least  to  hold  their  ground,  and  to 
advance  as  they  might,  were  it  only  by  limping  through  the 
deep  snows  a  few  slow  miles  a  day.  They  found  a  sort  of 
comfort  in  comparing  themselves  to  the  exiles  of  Siberia,  and 
sought  cheerfulness  in  earnest  prayers  for  the  spring — longed 
for  as  morning  by  the  tossing  sick. 

The  spring  came  at  last.  It  overtook  them  in  the  Sac  and 
Fox  country,  still  on  the  naked  prairie,  not  yet  half-way  over 
the  trail  they  were  following  between  the  Mississippi  and 
Missouri  rivers.  But  it  brought  its  own  share  of  troubles  with 
it.  The  months  with  which  it  opened  proved  nearly  as  try- 
ing as  the  worst  of  winter. 

The  snow  and  sleet  and  rain  which  fell,  as  it  appeared  to 
them,  without  intermission,  made  the  road  over  the  rich  prairie 
soil  as  impassable  as  one  vast  bog  of  heavy  black  mud.  Some- 
times they  would  fasten  the  horses  and  oxen  of  four  or  five 

15 


226  HISTORY   OF    THE    MORMONS. 

wagons  to  one,  and  attempt  to  get  a-head  in  this  way,  taking 
turns  ;  but  at  the  close  of  a  day  of  hard  toil  for  themselves  and 
their  cattle,  they  would  find  themselves  a  quarter  or  half  a 
mile  from  the  place  they  left  in  the  morning.  The  heavy 
rains  raised  all  the  water-courses  :  the  most  trifling  streams 
were  impassable.  "Wood  fit  for  bridging  was  often  not  to  be 
had,  and  in  such  cases  the  only  resource  was  to  halt  for  the 
freshets  to  subside — a  matter  in  the  case  of  the  headwaters 
of  the  Clariton,  for  instance,  of  over  three  weeks1  delay. 

These  were  dreary  waitings  upon  Providence.  The  most 
spirited  and  sturdy  murmured  most  at  their  forced  inactivity. 
And  even  the  women,  whose  heroic  spirits  had  been  proof 
against  the  lowest  thermometric  fall,  confessed  their  tempers 
fluctuated  with  the  ceaseless  variations  of  the  barometer. 
They  complained,  too,  that  the  health  of  their  children  suf- 
fered more.  It  was  the  fact,  that  the  open  winds  of  March 
and  April  brought  with  them  more  mortal  sickness  than  the 
sharpest  freezing  weather. 

The  frequent  burials  made  the  hardiest  sicken.  On  the 
soldier's  march  it  is  matter  of  discipline,  that  after  the  rattle 
of  musketry  over  his  comrade's  grave,  he  shall  tramp  it  to  the 
music  of  some  careless  tune  in  a  lively  quick- step.  But,  in 
the  Mormon  camp,  the  companion  who  lay  ill  and  gave  np 
the  ghost  within  view  of  all,  all  saw  as  he  stretched  a  corpse, 
and  all  attended  to  his  last  resting-place.  It  was  a  sorrow, 
too,  of  itself  to  simple-hearted  people,  the  deficient  pomps  of 
their  imperfect  style  of  funeral.  The  general  hopefulness  of 
human — including  Mormon — nature,  was  well  illustrated  by 
the  fact,  that  the  most  provident  were  found  unfurnished  with 
undertaker's  articles  ;  so  that  bereaved  affection  was  driven 
to  the  most  melancholy  makeshifts. 

The  best  expedient  generally  was  to  cut  down  a  log  of 
some  eight  or  nine  feet  long,  and  slitting  it  longitudinally, 
strip  off  its  dark  bark  in  two  half  cylinders.     These,  placed 


THE  EXODUS  OF  THE  MORMONS.  227 

around  the  body  of  the  deceased  and  bound  firmly  together 
with  withes  made  of  the  alburnum,  formed  a  rough  sort  of 
tubular  coffin  which  surviving  relations  and  friends,  with  a 
little  show  of  black  crape,  could  follow  with  its  enclosure  to 
the  hole,  a  bit  of  ditch,  dug  to  receive  it  in  the  wet  ground 
of  the  prairie.  They  grieved  to  lower  it  down  so  poorly  clad, 
and  in  such  an  unheeded  grave.  It  was  hard — was  it  right, 
thus  hurriedly  to  plunge  it  in  one  of  the  undistinguishable 
waves  of  the  great  land-sea,  and  leave  it  behind  them  there, 
under  the  cold  north  rain,  abandoned  to  be  forgotten  ?  They 
had  no  tombstones  ;  nor  could  they  find  rocks  to  pile  the 
monumental  cairn.  So,  when  they  had  filled  up  the  grave, 
and  over  it  prayed  a  miserere  prayer,  and  tried  to  sing  a  hope- 
ful psalm,  their  last  office  was  to  seek  out  landmarks,  or  call 
in  the  surveyor  to  help  them  to  determine  the  bearings  of 
valley  bends,  headlands,  or  forks  and  angles  of  constant 
streams,  by  which  its  position  should  in  the  future,  be  remem- 
bered and  recognized.  The  name  of  the  beloved  person,  his 
age,  the  date  of  his  death,  and  these  marks  were  all  registered 
with  care.  This  party  was  then  ready  to  move  on.  Such 
graves  mark  all  the  line  of  the  first  year  of  the  Mormon  travel 
— dispiriting  milestones  to  failing  stragglers  in  the  rear. 

It  is  an  error  to  estimate  largely  the  number  of  Mormons 
dead  of  starvation,  strictly  speaking.  Want  developed  disease, 
and  made  them  siek  under  fatigue,  and  maladies  that  would 
otherwise  have  proved  trifling.  But  only  those  died  of  it  out- 
right who  fell  in  out-of-the-way  places,  that  the  hand  of 
brotherhood  could  not  reach.  Among  the  rest  no  such  thing 
as  plenty  was  known,  while  any  went  an  hungered.  If  but 
a  part  of  a  group  was  supplied  with  provision,  the  only  result 
was,  that  the  whole  went  on  the  half  or  quarter  ration,  ac- 
cording to  the  sufficiency  that  there  was  among  them  ;  and 
this  so  ungrudgingly  and  contentedly,  that,  till  some  crisis  of 
trial  to  their  strength,  they  were  themselves  unaware  that 


228  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

their  health  was  sinking,  and  their  vital  force  impaired.  Hale 
young  men  gave  up  their  own  provided  food  and  shelter  to 
the  old  and  helpless,  and  walked  their  way  back  to  parts  of 
the  frontier  States,  chiefly  Missouri  and  Iowa,  where  they 
were  not  recognized,  and  hired  themselves  out  for  wages,  to 
purchase  more.  Others  were  sent  there  to  exchange  for  meal 
and  flour,  or  wheat  and  corn,  the  table  and  bed  furniture,  and 
other  last  resources  of  personal  property  which  a  few  had  still 
retained. 

In  a  kindred  spirit  of  paternal  forecast,  others  laid  out  great 
farms  in  the  wilds,  and  planted  in  them  the  grain  saved  for 
their  own  bread,  that  there  might  be  harvests  for  those  who 
should  follow  them.  Two  of  these,  in  the  Sac  and  Fox 
country,  and  beyond  it,  Garden  Grove  and  Mount  Pisgah,  in- 
cluded within  their  fences  above  two  miles  of  land  a-piece, 
carefully  planted  in  grain,  with  a  hamlet  of  comfortable  log- 
cabins  in  the  neighborhood  of  each. 

Through  all  this,  the  pioneers  found  redeeming  comfort  in 
the  thought,  that  their  own  suffering  was  the  price  of  hu- 
manity to  their  friends  at  home.  But  the  arrival  of  spring 
proved  this  a  delusion.  Before  the  warm  weather  had  made 
the  earth  dry  enough  for  easy  travel,  messengers  came  in 
from  Nauvoo  to  overtake  the  party,  with  fear-exaggerated 
tales  of  outrage,  and  to  urge  the  chief  men  to  hurry  back  to 
the  city,  that  they  might  give  counsel  and  assistance  there. 
The  enemy  had  only  waited  till  the  emigrants  were  supposed 
to  be  gone  on  their  road  too  far  to  return  to  interfere  with 
them,  and  then  renewed  their  aggressions. 

The  Mormons  outside  Nauvoo  were  indeed  hard  pressed  ; 
but  inside  the  city  they  maintained  themselves  very  well  for 
three  or  four  months  longer. 

Strange  to  say,  the  chief  part  of  this  respite  was  devoted  to 
completing  the  structure  of  their  quaintly  devised  but  beauti- 
ful Temple.     Since  the  dispersion  of  Jewry,  probably,  history 


CONSECRATION    OF   THE    NAUVOO    TEMPLE.  229 

affords  us  no  parallel  to  the  attachment  of  the  Mormons  for 
this  edifice.  Every  architectural  element,  every  most  fantas- 
tic emblem  it  embodied,  was  associated  for  them  with  some 
cherished  feature  of  their  religion.  Its  erection  had  been  en- 
joined upon  them  as  a  most  sacred  duty :  they  were  proud 
of  the  honor  upon  their  city,  when  it  grew  up  in  its  splendor 
to  become  the  chief  object  of  the  admiration  of  strangers  upon 
the  Upper  Mississippi.  Besides,  they  had  built  it  as  a  labor 
of  love  :  they  could  count  up  to  half  a  million  the  value  of 
their  tithings  and  free-will  offerings  laid  upon  it.  Hardly  a 
Mormon  woman  who  had  not  given  up  to  it  some  trinket  or 
pin-money ;  the  lowest  Mormon  man  had  at  least  served  the 
tenth  of  his  year  upon  its  walls  ;  and  the  coarsest  artisan 
could  turn  to  it  with  something  of  the  ennobling  attachment 
of  an  artist  for  his  fair  creation.  Therefore,  though  their  ene- 
mies drove  on  them  ruthlessly,  they  succeeded  in  panning  the 
last  sword  thrust  till  they  had  completed  even  the  gilding 
of  the  angel  and  trumpet  on  the  summit  of  its  lofty  spire.  As 
a  closing  work,  they  placed  on  the  entablature  of  the  front, 
like  a  baptismal  mark  on  the  forehead — 

THE  HOUSE  OF  THE  LORD  : 

EUILT  BY  THE  CHURCH  OF  JESUS  CHRIST  OF  LATTER-DAY  SAINTS. 

HOLINESS  TO  THE  LORD  ! 

Then,  at  high  noon,  under  the  bright  sunshine  of  May,  the 
next  only  after  its  completion,  they  consecrated  it  to  divine 
service.  There  was  a  carefully  studied  ceremonial  for  the 
occasion.  It  v/as  said  the  high  elders  of  the  sect  travelled 
furtively  from  the  Camp  of  Israel  in  the  Wilderness  ;  and 
throwing  off  ingenious  disguises,  appeared  in  their  Gwn  robes 
of  holy  office,  to  give  it  splendor. 

For  that  one  day  the  Temple  stood  resplendent  in  all  its 
typical  glories  of  sun,  moon,  and  stars8  and  other  abounding 


230  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

figured  and  lettered  signs,  hieroglyphs,  and  symbols  :  but  that 
day  only.  The  sacred  rites  of  consecration  ended,  the  work 
of  removing  the  sacrosancta  proceeded  with  the  rapidity  of 
magic.  It  went  on  through  the  night ;  and  when  the  morn- 
ing of  the  next  day  dawned,  all  the  ornaments  and  furniture, 
everything  that  could  provoke  a  sneer,  had  been  carried  off; 
and,  except  some  fixtures  that  would  not  bear  removal,  the 
building  was  dismantled  to  the  bare  walls.* 

*  This  building,  so  dear  to  the  Mormons,  is  no  longer  in  existence : 
"  On  Monday,  the  19th  November,  1848,"  says  the  Nauvoo  Patriot,  "  our 
citizens  were  awakened  by  the  alarm  of  fire,  which,  when  first  discov- 
ered, was  bursting  out  through  the  spire  of  the  Temple,  near  the  small 
door  that  opened  from  the  east  side  to  the  roof,  on  the  main  building. 
The  fire  was  seen  first  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  not  un- 
til it  had  taken  such  hold  of  the  timbers  and  roof  as  to  make  useless 
any  effort  to  extinguish  it.  The  materials  of  the  inside  were  so  dry,  and 
the  fire  spread  so  rapidly,  that  a  few  minutes  were  sufficient  to  wrap 
this  famed  edifice  in  a  sheet  of  flame. 

"  It  was  evidently  the  work  of  an  incendiary.  There  had  been,  on 
the  evening  previous,  a  meeting  in  the  lower  room ;  but  no  person  was 
in  the  upper  part,  where  the  fire  was  first  discovered.  Who  it  was, 
and  what  could  have  been  his  motives,  we  have  now  no  idea.  Some 
feeling,  infinitely  more  enviable  than  that  of  the  individual  who  put 
the  torch  to  the  beautiful  Ephesian  structure  of  old,  must  have  pos- 
sessed him.  To  destroy  a  work  of  art,  at  once  the  most  elegant  in  its 
construction  and  the  most  renowned  in  its  celebrity  of  any  in  the 
whole  West,  would,  we  should  think,  require  a  mind  of  more  than 
ordinary  depravity ;  and  we  feel  assured  that  no  one  in  this  community 
could  have  been  so  lost  to  every  sense  of  justice,  and  every  considera- 
tion of  interest,  as  to  become  the  author  of  the  deed.  Admit  that  it 
was  a  monument  of  folly  and  of  evil,  yet  it  was,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  a 
splendid  and  a  harmless  one. 

"  Its  loss,  no  doubt,  will  be  more  forcibly  felt  by  the  people  of  this 
place  than  any  other ;  because  even  the  most  dreamy  will  hardly  think 
of  soon  seeing  another  such  ornament,  and  because  it  was  on  the  eve 
of  changing  hands,  and  being  converted  into  a  commodious  building 
of  useful  education,  such  as  the  West  greatly  needs,  and  such  as  no 
one  ought  to  be  envious  of." 

"  In  May,  1850,  another  calamity  occurred  to  the  devoted  City  of 


THE  EXODUS  OF  THE  MORMONS.  231 

It  was  this  day  saw  the  departure  of  the  last  elders,  and  the 
largest  band  that  moved  in  one  company  together.  The  peo- 
ple of  Iowa  have  told  me,  that  from  morning  to  night  they 
passed  westward  like  an  endless  procession.  They  did  not 
seem  greatly  out  of  heart,  they  said  ;  but  at  the  top  of  every 
hill,  before  they  disappeared,  they  were  seen  to  be  looking 
back,  like  banished  Moors,  on  their  abandoned  homes,  and 
the  far  seen  Temple  and  its  glittering  spire. 

After  this  consecration,  which  was  construed  to  indicate 
an  insincerity  on  the  part  of  the  Mormons  as  to  their  stipu- 

Nauvoo :  at  that  time  occupied  by  a  colony  of  Icarians,  who  had  emi- 
grated thither  from  Paris,  under  the  superintendence  of  M.  Cahet. 

"The  dreadful  tornado  of  May  27th,"  says  the  Hancock  Patriot, 
"which  invaded  the  City  of  Nauvoo  and  neighboring;  places,  has  been 
for  us,  Icarians  (little  accustomed  to  such  revolutions  in  the  atmos- 
phere), a  spectacle  of  frightful  sublimity,  and  also  a  source  of  mortal 
anguish,  on  account  of  the  disasters  and  catastrophes  which  have  re- 
sulted from  it,  to  the  inhabitants  of  this  county,  and  to  us. 

"  The  Temple,  which  we  were  preparing  so  actively  and  resolutely 
to  rebuild  ;  the  Temple  which  we  hoped  to  cover  this  year;  and  in 
which  we  were  to  settle  our  refectories,  our  halls  of  reunion,  and  our 
schools ;  that  gigantic  monument  has  become  the  first  victim  of  the 
tornado. 

"  How  many  projects  are  buried  under  those  heaps  of  rubbish  !  How 
much  outlay  and  days  of  hard  labor  has  been  lost  to  us  !  It  was  for 
that  magnificent  edifice  to  again  give  a  soul  to  that  great  body,  that 
one  of  our  agents  in  the  north  pineries  has  just  bought  all  the  great 
beams  necessary  for  its  rebuilding ;  it  is  for  it,  that  we  were  adding  a 
saw-machine  to  the  mill,  and  establishing  a  vast  shed,  to  shelter  our 
laborers ;  in  a  word,  it  was  for  it  that  all  our  efforts  and  strength  have 
been  emplo}Ted  ;  and  now,  one  gale  of  the  tempest  brings  to  naught  all 
our  endeavors;  has  violently  ended  what  incendiary  had  begun  in 
October,  1848,  and  what  union  fraternity  tried  to  repair  in  1850.  We 
resign  without  murmuring  to  that  catastrophe. 

"  There  now  remains  nothing  of  the  gigantic  work  of  the  Mormons, 
except  the  west  face,  strongly  united  by  its  sides  to  another  wall  in 
the  interior  part,  and  surmounted  by  an  arch ;  between  the  two  walls 
at  the.  north  and  south  are  the  two  towers  or  seat  of  the  staircases." 


232  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

lated  departure,  or  at  least  a  hope  of  return,  their  foes  set 
upon  them  with  renewed  bitterness.  As  many  fled  as  were 
at  all  prepared  ;  but  by  the  very  fact  of  their  so  decreasing 
the  already  diminished  forces  of  the  city's  defenders,  they  en- 
couraged the  enemy  to  greater  boldness.  It  soon  became  ap- 
parent that  nothing  short  of  an  immediate  emigration  could 
save  the  remnant. 

From  this  time  onward  the  energies  of  those  already  on  the 
road  were  engrossed  by  the  duty  of  providing  for  the  fugitives 
who  came  crowding  in  after  them.  At  a  last  general  meeting 
of  the  sect  in  Nauvoo,  there  had  been  passed  a  unanimous  re- 
solve, that  they  would  sustain  one  another,  whatever  their 
circumstances,  upon  the  march  ;  and  this,  though  made  in 
view  of  no  such  appalling  exigency,  they  now  with  one  ac- 
cord set  themselves  together  to  carry  out. 

Here  begins  the  touching  period  of  Mormon  history  ;  on 
which,  but  that  it  is  for  me  a  hackneyed  subject,  I  should  be 
glad  to  dwell,  were  it  only  for  the  proof  it  has  afforded  of  the 
strictly  material  value  to  communities  of  an  active  common 
faith,  and  its  happy  illustrations  of  the  power  of  the  spirit  of 
Christian  fraternity  to  relieve  the  deepest  of  human  suffering. 
I  may  assume  that  it  has  already  fully  claimed  the  public 
sympathy. 

Delayed  thus  by  their  own  wants,  and  by  their  exertions  to 
provide  for  the  wants  of  others,  it  was  not  till  the  month  of 
June  that  the  advance  of  the  emigrant  companies  arrived  at 
the  Missouri. 

This  body,  I  remember,  I  had  to  join  there,  ascending  the 
river  for  the  purpose  from  Fort  Leavenworth,  which  was  at 
that  time  our  frontier  post.  The  fort  was  the  interesting  ren- 
dezvous of  the  army  of  the  "West,  and  the  head-quarters  of  its 
gallant  chief,  Stephen  F.  Kearney,  whose  guest  and  friend  I 
account  it  my  high  honor  to  have  been.  Many  as  were  the 
reports  daily  received  at  the  garrison  from  all  portions  of  the 


THE  EXODUS  OF  THE  MORMONS.  233 

Indian  territory,  it  was  a  significant  fact  how  little  authentic 
intelligence   was    to   be   obtained   concerning  the  Mormons. 
Even  the  region  in  which  they  were  to  be  sought  after,  was 
a  question  not  attempted  to  be  designated  with  accuracy,  ex- 
cept  by  what  are  very  often  called  in  the  West,  «  Mormon 
stories,"  none  of  which  bore  any  sifting.     One  of  these  averred, 
that  a  party  of  Mormons  in  spangled  crimson  robes  of  office,' 
headed  by  one  in  black  velvet  and  silver,  had  been  teaching 
a  Jewish  pow-wow  to  the  medicine  men  of  the  Sauks  and 
Foxes.     Another  averred  that  they  were  going  about  in  buf- 
falo robe  short  frocks,  imitative  of  the  costume  of  Saint  John, 
preaching  baptism  and  the  instance  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
among  the  Ioways.     To  believe  one  report,  ammunition  and 
whiskey  had  been  received  by  Indian  braves  at  the  hands  of 
an  elder  with  a  flowing  white   beard,  who  spoke  Indian,  he 
alleged,  because  he  had  the  gift  of  tongues,  this,  as  far  north 
as  the  country  of  the  Yanketon  Sioux.     According  to  another, 
yet  which  professed  to  be  derived  officially  from  at  least  one 
Indian  sub-agent,  the  Mormons   had  distributed  the  scarlet 
uniforms  of  H.  B.  M.'s  servants  among  the  Pottawatamies, 
and  had  carried  into  the  country  twelve  pieces  of  brass  can- 
non, which  were  counted  by  a  traveller  as  they  were  rafted 
across  the  East  Fork  of  Grand  Stiver,  one  of  the  northern 
tributaries  of  the  Missouri.     The  narrators  of  these  pleasant 
stories  were  at  variance  as  to  the  position  of  the  Mormons,  by 
a  couple  of  hundred  leagues  ;  but  they  harmonized  in  the 
warning,  that  to  seek  certain  of  the  leading  camps  would  be 
to  meet  the  treatment  of  a  spy. 

Almost  at  the  outset  of  my  journey  from  Fort  Leavenworth, 
while  yet  upon  the  edge  of  the  Indian  border,  I  had  the  good 
fortune  to  fall  in  with  a  couple  of  thin-necked  sallow  persons, 
in  patchwork  pantaloons,  conducting  northward  wagon-loads 
of  Indian  corn,  which  they  had  obtained,  according°  to  their 
own  account,  in  barter  from  a  squatter  for  some  silver  spoons 


234  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

and  a  feather  bed.  Their  character  was  disclosed  by  their 
eager  request  of  a  bite  from  my  wallet ;  in  default  of  which, 
after  a  somewhat  superfluous  scriptural  grace,  they  made  an 
imperfect  lunch  before  me  off  the  softer  of  their  corn-ears, 
eating  the  grains  as  horses  do,  from  the  cob.  I  took  their  ad- 
vice to  follow  up  the  Missouri ;  somewhere  not  far  from  which, 
in  the  Pottawatamie  country,  they  were  sure  I  would  encoun- 
ter one  of  their  advancing  companies. 

I  had  bad  weather  on  the  road.  Excessive  heats,  varied 
only  by  repeated  drenching  thunder-squalls,  knocked  up  my 
horse,  my  only  travelling  companion  ;  and  otherwise  added  to 
the  ordinary  hardships  of  a  kind  of  life  to  which  I  was  as  yet 
little  accustomed.  I  suffered  a  sense  of  discomfort,  therefore, 
amounting  to  physical  nostalgia,  and  was,  in  fact,  wearied  to 
death  of  the  staring  silence  of  the  prairie,  before  I  came  upon 
the  objects  of  my  search. 

They  were  collected  a  little  distance  above  the  Pottawatamie 
agency.  The  hills  of  the  "  High  Prairie"  crowding  in  upon 
the  river  at  this  point,  and  overhanging  it,  appear  of  an  un- 
usual and  commanding  elevation.  They  are  called  the  Coun- 
cil Bluffs,  a  name  given  them  with  another  meaning,  but 
well  illustrated  by  the  picturesque  congress  of  their  high  and 
mighty  summits.  To  the  south  of  them,  a  rich  alluvial  flat 
of  considerable  width  follows  down  the  Missouri,  some  eight 
miles,  to  where  it  is  lost  from  view  at  a  turn,  which  forms  the 
site  of  the  Indian  town  of  Point  aux  Poules.  Across  the 
river  from  this  spot  the  hills  recur  again,  but  are  skirted  at 
their  base  by  as  much  low  ground  as  suffices  for  a  landing. 

This  landing,  and  the  large  flat  or  bottom  on  the  east  side 
of  the  river,  were  crowded  with  covered  carts  and  wagons ; 
and  each  one  of  the  Council  Bluff  hills  opposite  was  crowned 
with  its  own  great  camp,  gay  with  bright,  white  canvass,  and 
alive  with  the  busy  stir  of  swarming  occupants.  In  the  clear 
blue  morning  air,  the  smoke  streamed  up  from  more  than  a 


THE  EXODUS  OF  THE  MORMONS.  235 

thousand  cooking-fires.  Countless  roads  and  by-paths  check- 
ered all  manner  of  geometric  figures  on  the  hill-sides.  Herd- 
boys  were  dozing  upon  the  slopes  ;  sheep  and  horses,  cows  and 
oxen,  were  feeding  around  them,  and  other  herds  in  the  lux- 
uriant meadow  of  the  then  swollen  river.  From  a  single 
point  I  counted  four  thousand  head  of  cattle  in  view  at  one 
time.  As  I  approached '  the  camps,  it  seemed  to  me  the 
children  there  were  to  prove  still  more  numerous.  Along  a 
little  creek  I  had  to  cross  were  women  in  greater  force  than 
blanchisseuses  upon  the  Seine,  washing  and  rinsing  all  manner 
of  white  muslins,  red  flannels,  and  parti-colored  calicoes,  and 
hanging  them  to  bleach  upon  a  greater  area  of  grass  and 
bushes  than  we  can  display  in  all  our  Washington  Square. 

Hastening  by  these,  I  saluted  a  group  of  noisy  boys,  whose 
purely  vernacular  cries  had  for  me  an  invincible  home-savor- 
ing attraction.  It  was  one  of  them,  a  bright-faced  lad,  who, 
hurrying  on  his  jacket  and  trowsers,  fresh  from  bathing  in  the 
creek,  first  assured  me  I  was  at  my  right  destination.  He 
was  a  mere  child  ;  but  he  told  me  of  his  own  accord  where  I 
had  best  go  seek  my  welcome,  and  took  my  horse's  bridle  to 
help  me  pass  a  morass,  the  bridge  over  which  he  alleged  to 
be  unsafe. 

There  was  something  joyous  for  me  in  my  free  rambles  about 
this  vast  body  of  pilgrims.  I  could  range  the  wild  country 
wherever  I  listed,  under  safeguard  of  their  moving  host.  Not 
only  in  the  main  camps  was  all  stir  and  life,  but  in  every  di- 
rection, it  seemed  to  me,  I  could  follow  "  Mormon  Roads," 
and  find  them  beaten  hard,  and  even  dusty,  by  the  tread  and 
wear  of  the  cattle  and  vehicles  of  emigrants  laboring  over 
them.  By  day,  I  would  overtake  and  pass,  one  after  another, 
what  amounted  to  an  army  train  of  them ;  and  at  night,  if  1 
encamped  at  the  places  where  the  timber  and  running  water 
were  found  together,  I  was  almost  sure  to  be  within  call  of 
some  camp  or  other,  or  at  least  within  sight  of  its  watch-fires. 


236  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

Wherever  I  was  compelled  to  tarry  I  was  certain  to  find  shel- 
ter and  hospitality,  scant,  indeed,  but  never  stinted,  and 
always  honest  and  kind.  After  a  recent  unavoidable  asso- 
ciation with  the  border  inhabitants  of  Western  Missouri  and 
Iowa,  the  vile  scum  which  our  own  society,  to  apply  the 
words  of  an  admirable  gentleman  and  eminent  divine,  "  like 
the  great  ocean  washes  upon  its  frontier  shores,"  I  can 
scarcely  describe  the  gratification  I  felt  in  associating  again 
with  persons  who  were  almost  all  of  Eastern  American  origin 
— persons  of  refined  and  cleanly  habits  and  decent  language 
— and  in  observing  their  peculiar  and  interesting  mode  of  life  ; 
while  every  day  seemed  to  bring  with  it  its  own  especial  in- 
cidents, fruitful  in  the  illustration  of  habits  and  character. 

It  was  during  the  period  of  which  I  have  just  spoken,  that 
the  Mormon  battalion  of  five  hundred  and  twenty  men  was 
recruited  and  marched  for  the  Pacific  coast. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  Mexican  war,  the  President 
considered  it  desirable  to  march  a  body  of  reliable  infantry  to 
California  at  as  early  a  period  as  practicable,  and  the  known 
hardihood  and  habits  of  discipline  of  the  Mormons  were  sup- 
posed peculiarly  to  fit  them  for  this  service.  As  California 
was  supposed  also  to  be  their  ultimate  destination,  the  long 
march  might  cost  them  less  than  other  citizens.  They  were 
accordingly  invited  to  furnish  a  battalion  of  volunteers  early 
in  the  month  of  July. 

The  call  could  hardly  have  been  more  inconveniently  timed. 
The  young,  and  those  who  could  best  have  been  spared,  were 
then  away  from  the  main  body,  either  with  pioneer  companies 
in  the  van,  or,  their  faith  unannounced,  seeking  work  and 
food  about  the  north-western  settlements,  to  support  them  till 
the  return  of  the  season  for  commencing  emigration.  The 
force  was,  therefore,  to  be  recruited  from  among  fathers  of 
families,  and  others,  whose  presence  it  was  most  desirable  to 
retain. 


THE  EXODUS  OF  THE  MORMONS.  237 

There  were  some,  too,  who  could  not  view  the  invitation 
without  jealousy.  They  had  twice  been  persuaded  by  (State) 
Government  authorities  in  Illinois  and  Missouri,  to  give  up 
their  arms  on  some  special  appeal  to  their  patriotic  confidence, 
and  had  then  been  left  to  the  malice  of  their  enemies.  And 
now  they  were  asked,  in  the  midst  of  the  Indian  country,  to 
surrender  over  five  hundred  of  their  best  men  for  a  war  march 
of  thousands  of  miles  to  California,  without  the  hope  of  return 
till  after  the  conquest  of  that  country.  Could  they  view  such 
a  proposition  with  favor  ? 

But  the  feeling  of  country  triumphed.  The  Union  had 
never  wronged  them  :  "  You  shall  have  your  battalion  at  once, 
if  it  has  to  be  a  class  of  our  elders,"  said  one,  himself  a  ruling 
elder.  A  central  "  mass  meeting"  for  council,  some  harangues 
at  the  more  remotely  scattered  camps,  an  American  flag 
brought  out  from  a  storehouse  of  things  rescued,  and  hoisted 
to  the  top  of  a  tree  mast,  and  in  three  days  the  force  was  re- 
ported, mustered,  organized,  and  ready  to  march. 

There  was  no  sentimental  affectation  at  their  leave-taking. 
The  afternoon  before  was  appropriated  to  a  farewell  ball ; 
and  a  more  merry  dancing  rout  I  have  never  seen,  though  the 
company  went  without  refreshments,  and  their  ball-room  was 
of  the  most  primitive.  It  was  the  custom,  whenever  the  larger 
camps  rested  for  a  few  days  together,  to  make  great  arbors, 
or  boweries,  as  they  called  them,  of  poles  and  brush  and  wat- 
tling, as  places  of  shelter  for  their  meetings  of  devotion  or  con- 
ference. In  one  of  these,  where  the  ground  had  been  trodden 
firm  and  hard  by  the  worshippers  of  the  popular  Father  Tay- 
lor's precinct,  was  gathered  now  the  mirth  and  beauty  of  the 
Mormon  Israel. 

If  anything  told  the  Mormons  had  been  bred  to  other  lives, 
it  was  the  appearance  of  the  women,  as  they  assembled  here. 
Before  their  flight,  they  had  sold  their  watches  and  trinkets 
as  the  most  available  resource  for  raising  ready  money  ;  and 


238  HISTORY   OF   THE    MORMONS. 

hence,  like  their  partners,  who  wore  waistcoats  cut  with  use- 
less watch-pockets,  they,  although  their  ears  were  pierced  and 
bore  the  loop-marks  of  rejected  pendants,  were  without  ear- 
rings, finger-rings,  chains,  or  brooches.  Except  such  orna- 
ments, however,  they  lacked  nothing  most  becoming  the  at- 
tire of  decorous  maidens.  The  neatly  darned  white  stocking, 
and  clean  bright  petticoat,  the  artistically  clear-starched  collar 
and  chemisette,  the  something  faded,  only  because  too  well 
washed,  lawn  or  gingham  gown,  that  fitted  modishly  to  the 
waist  of  its  pretty  wearer — these,  if  any  of  them  spoke  of 
poverty,  spoke  of  a  poverty  that  had  known  its  better  days. 

With  the  rest  attended  the  Elders  of  the  Church  within 
call,  including  nearly  all  the  chiefs  of  the  High  Council,  with 
their  wives  and  children.  They,  the  gravest  and  most 
trouble-worn,  seemed  the  most  anxious  of  any  to  be  first  to 
throw  off  the  burden  of  heavy  thoughts.  Their  leading  off 
the  dancing  in  a  great  double  cotillion  was  the  signal  bade 
the  festivity  commence.  To  the  canto  of  debonnair  violins, 
the  cheer  of  horns,  the  jingle  of  sleigh-bells,  and  the  jovial 
snoring  of  the  tambourine,  they  did  dance  !  None  of  your 
minuets  or  other  mortuary  processions  of  gentles  in  etiquette, 
tight  shoes,  and  pinching  gloves,  but  the  spirited  and  scien- 
tific displays  of  our  venerated  and  merry  grandparents,  who 
were  not  above  following  the  fiddle  to  the  Fox-Chase  Inn  or 
Gardens  of  Gray's  Ferry.  French  fours,  Copenhagen  jigs, 
"Virginia  reels,  and  the  like  forgotten  figures,  executed  with 
the  spirit  of  people  too  happy  to  be  slow,  or  bashful,  or  con- 
strained. Light  hearts,  lithe  figures,  and  light  feet,  had  it 
their  own  way  from  an  early  hour  till  after  the  sun  had 
dipped  behind  the  sharp  sky-line  of  the  Omaha  hills.  Silence 
was  then  called,  a  well-cultivated  mezzo-soprano  voice,  be- 
longing to  a  young  lady  with  fair  face  and  dark  eyes,  gave, 
with  quartette  accompaniment,  a  little  song,  the  notes  of 
which  I  have  been  unsuccessful  in  repeated  efforts  to  obtain 


INCIDENTS    OF   TRAVEL.  239 

since, — a  version  of  the  text  touching  to  all  earthly  wan- 
derers : — 

"  By  the  rivers  of  Babylon  we  sat  down  and  wept : 
We  wept  when  we  remember  Zion." 

There  was  danger  of  some  expression  of  feeling  when  the 
song  was  over,  for  it  had  begun  to  draw  tears  ;  but  breaking 
the  quiet  with  his  hard  voice,  an  Elder  asked  the  blessing  of 
Heaven  on  all  who,  with  purity  of  heart,  and  brotherhood  of 
spirit,  had  mingled  in  that  society,  and  then  all  dispersed, 
hastening  to  cover  from  the  falling  dews.  All,  I  remember, 
but  some  splendid  Indians,  who,  in  cardinal  scarlet  blankets 
and  feathered  leggings,  had  been  making  foreground  figures 
for  the  dancing  rings,  like  those  in  Mr.  West's  picture  of  our 
Philadelphia  Treaty,  and  staring  their  inability  to  comprehend 
the  wonderful  performances.  These  loitered  to  the  last,  as 
if  unwilling  to  seek  their  abject  homes. 

Well  as  I  knew  the  peculiar  fondness  of  the  Mormons 
for  music,  their  orchestra  in  service  on  this  occasion  astonished 
me  by  its  numbers  and  fine  drill.  The  story  was,  that  an 
eloquent  Mormon  missionary  had  converted  its  members  in  a 
"body  at  an  English  town,  a  stronghold  of  the  sect,  and  that 
they  took  up  their  trumpets,  trombones,  drums,  and  hautboys 
together,  and  followed  him  to  America.  , 

When  the  refugees  from  Nauvoo  were  hastening  to  part 
with  their  table-ware,  jewellery,  and  almost  every  other 
fragment  of  metal  wealth  they  possessed  that  was  not  iron, 
they  had  never  a  thought  of  giving  up  the  instruments  of 
this  favorite  band.  And  when  the  battalion  was  enlisted, 
though  high  inducements  were  offered  some  of  the  performers 
to  accompany  it,  they  all  refused.  Their  fortunes  went  with 
the  Camp  of  the  Tabernacle.  They  had  led  the  Farewell 
Service  in  the  Nauvoo  Temple.  Their  office  now  was  to 
guide  the  monster  choruses  and  Sunday  hymns  ;  and  like  the 


240  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

trumpets  of  silver  made  of  a  whole  piece  "  for  the  calling  of 
the  assembly,  and  for  the  journeying  of  the  camps,"  to  knoll 
the  people  in  to  church.  Some  of  their  wind  instruments, 
indeed,  were  uncommonly  full  and  pure-toned,  and  in  that 
clear  dry  air  could  be  heard  to  a  great  distance.  It  had  the 
strangest  effect  in  the  world,  to  listen  to  their,  sweet  music 
winding  over  the  uninhabited  country.  Something  in  the 
style  of  a  Moravian  death- tone  blown  at  day-break,  but 
altogether  unique.  It  might  be  when  you  were  hunting  a 
ford  over  the  Great  Platte,  the  dreariest  of  all  wild  rivers, 
perplexed  among  the  far-reaching  sandbars  and  curlew  shal- 
lows of  its  shifting  bed  : — the  wind  rising  would  bring  you 
the  first  faint  thought  of  a  melody  ;  and,  as  you  listened, 
borne  down  upon  the  gust  that  swept  past  you  a  cloud  of  the 
dry  sifted  sands,  you  recognized  it — perhaps  a  home-loved 
theme  of  Henry  Proch  or  Mendelssohn.  Mendelssohn  Bar- 
tholdy,  away  there  in  the  Indian  Marches ! 

The  battalion  gone,  the  host  again  moved  on.  The  tents, 
which  had  gathered  on  the  hill  summits,  like  white  birds 
hesitating  to  venture  on  the  long  flight  over  the  river,  were 
struck  one  after  another,  and  the  dwellers  in  them  and  their 
wagons,  and  their  cattle,  hastened  down  to  cross  it  at  a  ferry 
in  the  valley,  which  they  made  ply  night  and  day.  A  little 
beyond  the  landing,  they  formed  their  companies,  and  made 
their  preparations  for  the  last  and  longest  stage  of  their 
journey.  It  was  a  more  serious  matter  to  cross  the  moun- 
tains then  than  now,  that  the  thirst  of  our  people  for  the 
gold  of  California  has  made  the  region  between  them  and 
their  desire  such  literally  trodden  ground. 

Thanks  to  this  wonderful  movement,  I  may  dismiss  an 
effort  to  describe  the  incidents  of  emigrant  life  upon  the 
Plains,  presuming  that  you  have  been  made  more  than 
familiar  with  them  already,  by  the  many  repeated  descrip- 
tions of  which  they  have  been  the  subject.      The   desert 


EMIGRANT    LIFE    ON    THE    PRAIRIES.  241 

march,  the  ford,  the  quicksand,  the  Indian  battle,  the  bison 
chase,  the  prairie  fire: — the  adventures  of  the  Mormons  com- 
prised every  variety  of  these  varieties ;  but  I  could  not  hope 
to  invest  them  with  the  interest  of  novelty.  The  character 
of  their  every-day  life,  its  routine  and  conduct,  alone  offered 
any  exclusive  or  marked  peculiarity.  Their  romantic  de- 
votional observances,  and  their  admirable  concert  of  purpose 
and  action,  met  the  eye  at  once.  After  these,  the  stranger 
was  most  struck,  perhaps,  by  the  strict  order  of  march,  the 
unconfused  closing  up  to  meet  attack,  the  skilful  securing  of 
the  cattle  upon  the  halt,  the  system  with  which  the  watches 
were  set  at  night  to  guard  them  and  the  lines  of  corral — 
with  other  similar  circumstances  indicative  of  the  mainte- 
nance of  a  high  state  of  discipline.  Every  ten  of  their 
wagons  was  under  the  care  of  a  captain.  This  captain  of 
ten,  as  they  termed  him,  obeyed  a  captain  of  fifty  ;  who,  in 
turn,  obeyed  his  captain  of  a  hundred,  or  directly  a  member 
of  what  they  call  the  High  Council  of  the  Church.  All 
these  were  responsible  and  determined  men,  approved  of  by 
the  people  for  their  courage,  discretion,  and  experience.  So 
well  recognized  were  the  results  of  this  organization,  that 
bands  of  hostile  Indians  have  passed  by  comparative  small 
parties  of  Mormons,  to  attack  much  larger,  but  less  compact 
bodies  of  other  emigrants. 

The  most  striking  feature,  however,  of  the  Mormon  emi- 
gration, was  undoubtedly  their  formation  of  the  Tabernacle 
Camps,  and  temporary  Stakes,  or  Settlements,  which  re- 
newed, in  the  sleeping  solitudes  everywhere  along  their  road, 
the  cheering  signs  of  intelligent  and  hopeful  life. 

I  will  make  this  remark  plainer  by  describing  to  you  one 
of  these  camps,  with  the  daily  routine  of  its  inhabitants.  I 
select  at  random,  for  my  purpose,  a  large  camp  upon  the 
delta  between  the  Nebraska  and  Missouri,  in  the  territory  dis- 
puted between  the  Omaha  and  Otto  and  Missouri  Indians.  It 

16 


242  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

remained  pitched  here  for  nearly  two  months,  during  which 
period  I  resided  in  it. 

It  was  situated  near  the  Petit  Papillon,  or  Little  Butterfly 
River,  and  upon  some  finely-rounded  hills  that  encircle  a  fa- 
vorite cool  spring.  On  each  of  these  a  square  was  marked 
out ;  and  the  wagons,  as  they  arrived,  took  their  positions 
along  its  four  sides  in  double  rows,  so  as  to  leave  a  roomy 
street  or  passage-way  between  them.  The  tents  were  disposed 
also  in  rows,  at  intervals,  between  the  wagons.  The  cattle 
were  folded  in  high-fenced  yards  outside.  The  quadrangle 
inside  was  left  vacant  for  the  sake  of  ventilation,  and  the 
streets,  covered  in  with  leafy  arbor  work,  and  kept  scrupu- 
lously clean,  formed  a  shaded  cloister  walk.  This  was  the 
place  of  exercise  for  slowly-recovering  invalids,  the  day-home 
of  the  infants,  and  the  evening  promenade  of  all. 

From  the  first  formation  of  the  camp,  all  its  inhabitants 
were  constantly  and  laboriously  occupied.  Many  of  them 
were  highly  educated  mechanics,  and  seemed  only  to  need  a 
day's  anticipated  rest  to  engage  them  at  the  forge,  loom,  or 
turning-lathe,  upon  some  needed  chore  of  work.  A  Mormon 
gunsmith  is  the  inventor  of  the  excellent  repeating  rifle,  that 
loads  by  slides  instead  of  cylinders ;  and  one  of  the  neatest 
finished  fire-arms  I  have  ever  seen  was  of  this  kind,  wrought 
from  scraps  of  old  iron,  and  inlaid  with  the  silver  of  a  couple 
of  half-dollars,  under  a  hot  July  sun,  in  a  spot  where  the 
average  height  of  the  grass  was  above  the  workman's  shoul- 
ders. I  have  seen  a  cobbler,  after  the  halt  of  his  party  on  the 
march,  hunting  along  the  river  bank  for  a  lapstone,  in  the 
twilight,  that  he  might  finish  a  famous  boot-sole  by  the  camp 
fire  :  and  I  have  had  a  piece  of  cloth,  the  wool  of  which  was 
sheared,  and  died,  and  spun,  and  woven,  during  a  progress 
over  three  hundred  miles. 

Their  more  interesting  occupations,  however,  were  those 
growing  out  of  their  peculiar  circumstances  and  position.  The 


DISTRESS    OF   THE    PEOPLE.  243 

chiefs  were  seldom  without  some  curious  affair  on  hand  to 
settle  with  the  restless  Indians  ;  while  the  immense  labor  and 
responsibility  of  the  conduct  of  their  unwieldy  moving  army, 
and  the  commissariat  of  its  hundreds  of  famishing  poor,  also 
devolved  upon  them.  They  had  good  men  they  called 
bishops,  whose  special  office  it  was  to  look  up  the  cases  of  ex- 
tremest  suffering,  and  their  relief  parties  were  out  night  and 
day  to  scour  over  every  trail. 

At  this  time  say  two  months  before  the  final  expulsion 
from  Nauvoo,  there  were  already,  along  three  hundred  miles 
of  the  road  between  that  city  and  our  Papillon  Camp,  over 
two  thousand  emigrating  wagons,  besides  a  large  number  of 
nondescript  turn-outs,  the  motley  make-shifts  of  poverty,  from 
the  unsuitably  heavy-cart,  that  lumbered  on  mysteriously, 
with  its  sick  driver  hidden  under  its  counterpane  cover,  to 
the  crazy  two- wheeled  trundle,  such  as  our  own  poor  employ 
for  the  conveyance  of  their  slop-barrels,  this  pulled  along,  it 
may  be,  by  a  little  dry,  dogged  heifer,  and  rigged  up  only  to 
drag  some  such  light  weight  as  a  baby,  a  sack  of  meal,  or  a 
pack  of  clothes  and  bedding. 

Some  of  them  were  in  distress  from  losses  upon  the  way. 
A  strong  trait  of  the  Mormons  was  their  kindness  to  their 
brute  dependents,  and  particularly  to  their  beasts  of  draught. 
They  gave  them  the  holiday  of  the  Sabbath  whenever  it 
came  round.  I  believe  they  would  have  washed  them  with 
old  wine,  after  the  example  of  the  emigrant  Carthaginians, 
had  they  had  any.  Still,  in  the  Slave-coast  heats,  under 
which  the  animals  had  to  move,  they  sometimes  foundered. 
Sometimes,  too,  they  strayed  off  in  the  night,  or  were  mired 
in  morasses,  or  oftener  were  stolen  by  Indians,  who  found 
market  covert  for  such  plunder  among  the  horse-thief  whites 
of  the  frontier.  But  the  great  mass  of  these  pilgrims  of  the 
desert  was  made  up  of  poor  folks,  who  had  fled  in  destitution 


244  HISTORY"    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

from  Nauvoo,  and  been  refused  a  resting-place  by  the  people 
of  Iowa. 

It  is  difficult  fully  to  understand  the  state  of  helplessness  in 
which  some  of  these  would  arrive,  after  accomplishing  a  jour- 
ney of  such  extent,  under  circumstances  of  so  much  privation 
and  peril.  The  fact  was,  they  seemed  to  believe  that  all 
their  trouble  wrould  be  at  an  end  if  they  could  only  come  up 
with  their  comrades  at  the  great  camps.  For  this  they  cal- 
culated their  resources,  among  which  their  power  of  endur- 
ance was  by  much  the  largest  and  most  reliable  item,  and 
they  were  not  disappointed  if  they  arrived  with  these  utterly 
exhausted. 

I  remember  a  signal  instance  of  this  at  the  Papillon  Camp  : 

It  was  that  of  a  joyous-hearted  clever  fellow,  whose  song3 
and  fiddle-tunes  were  the  life  and  delight  of  Nauvoo  in  its 
merry  days.  I  forget  his  story,  and  how  exactly  it  fell  about, 
that,  after  a  Mormon's  full  peck  of  troubles,  he  started  after 
us,  with  his  wife  and  little  ones,  from  some  "  lying-down 
place"  in  the  Indian  country,  where  he  had  contended  with 
an  attack  of  a  serious  malady.  He  was  just  convalescent, 
and  the  fatigue  of  marching  on  foot  again,  with  a  child  on  his 
back,  speedily  brought  on  a  relapse.  But  his  anxiety  to  reach 
a  place  where  he  could  expect  to  meet  friends  with  shelter 
and  food,  was  such  that  he  only  pressed  on  the  harder.  Proba- 
bly for  more  than  a  week  of  the  dog-star  weather  he  labored 
on  under  a  high  fever,  walking  every  day  until  he  was  entire- 
ly exhausted. 

His  limbs  failed  him  then  ;  but  his  courage  holding  out,  he 
got  into  his  covered  cart,  on  top  of  its  freight  of  baggage,  and 
made  them  drive  him  on  while  he  lay  down.  They  could 
hardly  believe  how  ill  he  was,  he  talked  on  so  cheerfully  : 
"  I'm  nothing  on  earth  ailing  but  home-sick.  I'm  cured  the 
very  minute  I  get  to  camp  and  see  the  brethren." 

Not  being  able  thus  to  watch  his  course,  he  lost  his  way, 


ADVENTURES    IN    THE    INDIAN   TERRITORY.  245 

and  had  to  regain  it  through  a  wretched  track  of  low  meadow- 
prairie,  where  there  were  no  trees  to  break  the  noon,  no  water 
but  what  was  ague-sweet  or  brackish.  By  the  time  he  got 
back  to  the  trail  on  the  high  prairie,  he  was,  in  his  own 
phrase,  pretty  far  gone.  Yet  he  was  resolute  in  his  purpose 
as  ever,  and  to  a  party  he  fell  in  with  avowed  his  intention 
to  be  cured  at  the  camp,  "  and  nowhere  else."  He  even 
jested  with  them,  comparing  his  jolting  couch  to  a  summer 
cot  in  a  white-washed  cock-loft.  "  But  I'll  make  them  take 
me  down,"  he  said,  "  and  give  me  a  dip  in  the  river  when  I 
get  there.     All  I  care  for  is  to  see  the  brethren." 

His  determined  bearing  rallied  the  spirits  of  his  travelling 
household,  and  they  kept  on  their  way  till  he  was  within  a 
few  hours'  journey  of  the  camp.  He  entered  on  his  last  day's 
journey  with  the  energy  of  increased  hope. 

I  remember  that  day  well,  for  in  the  evening  I  mounted  a 
tired  horse  to  go  a  short  errand,  and  in  mere  pity,  had  to  turn 
back  before  I  had  walked  him  a  couple  of  hundred  yards. 
Nothing  seemed  to  draw  life  from  the  languid  air  but  the 
clouds  of  gnats  and  stinging  midges  ;  and  long  after  sun- 
down, it  was  so  hot  that  the  sheep  lay  on  their  stomachs 
panting,  and  the  cattle  strove  to  lap  wind  like  hard-fagged 
hunting-dogs.  In  camp,  I  had  spent  the  day  in  watching  the 
invalids,  and  the  rest  hunting  the  shade  under  the  wagon- 
bodies,  and  veering  about  them  like  the  shadows  round  the 
sun-dial.  I  know  I  thought  myself  wretched  enough  to  be  of 
their  company. 

Poor  Merryman  had  all  that  heat  to  bear,  with  the  mere 
pretence  of  an  awning  to  screen  out  the  sun  from  his  close 
muslin  cock-loft. 

He  did  not  fail  till  somewhere  hard  upon  noon.  He  then 
began  to  grow  restless,  to  know  accurately  the  distance  travel- 
led. He  made  them  give  him  water,  too,  much  more  fre- 
quently;  and  when  they  stopped  for  this  purpose,  asked  a 


246  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

number  of  obscure  questions.  A  little  after  this  he  discover- 
ed himself  that  a  film  had  come  over  his  eyes.  He  confessed 
that  this  was  discouraging,  but  said  with  stubborn  resignation, 
that  if  denied  to  see  the  brethren,  he  still  should  hear  the 
sound  of  their  voices. 

After  this,  which  was  when  he  was  hardly  three  miles  from 
our  camp,  he  lay  very  quiet,  as  if  husbanding  his  strength ; 
but  when  he  had  made,  as  is  thought,  a  full  mile  further,  be- 
ing interrogated  by  the  woman  that  was  driving,  whether  she 
should  stop,  he  answered  her,  as  she  avers,  "  No,  no  ;  go  on  !" 

The  anecdote  ends  badly.  They  brought  him  in  dead,  I 
think  about  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  He  had  on  his 
clean  clothes,  as  he  had  dressed  himself  in  the  morning,  look- 
ing forward  to  his  arrival. 

Besides  the  common  duty  of  guiding  and  assisting  these 
unfortunates,  the  companies  in  the  van  united  in  providing" 
the  highway  for  the  entire  body  of  emigrants.  The  Mor- 
mons have  laid  out  for  themselves  a  road  through  the  Indian 
Territory,  over  four  hundred  leagues  in  length,  with  substan- 
tial, well-built  bridges,  fit  for  the  passage  of  heavy  artillery,. 
over  all  the  streams,  except  a  few  great  rivers  where  they 
have  established  permanent  ferries.  The  nearest  unfinished 
bridging  to  the  Papillon  Camp  was  that  of  the  Come  a  Cerf, 
or  Elk-horn,  a  tributary  of  the  Platte,  distant  may  be  a  cou- 
ple of  hours'  march.  Here,  in  what  seemed  to  be  an  incred- 
ibly short  space  of  time,  there  rose  the  seven  great  piers  and 
abutments  of  a  bridge,  such  as  might  challenge  honors  for  the 
entire  public-spirited  population  of  Lower  Virginia.  The 
party  detailed  to  the  task  worked  in  the  broiling  sun,  in  water 
beyond  depth,  and  up  to  their  necks,  as  if  engaged  in  the  per- 
petration of  some  pointed  and  delightful  practical  joke.  The 
chief  sport  lay  in  floating  along  with  the  logs,  cut  from  the 
overhanging  timber  up  the  stream,  guiding  them  till  they 
reached  their  destination,  and  then  plunging   them  under 


FORDING    THE   MISSOURI.  247 

water  in  the  precise  spot  where  they  were  to  be  secured. 
This  the  laughing  engineers  would  execute  with  the  agility 
of  happy,  diving  ducks. 

Our  nearest  ferry  was  that  overt  he  Missouri.  Nearly  op- 
posite Pull  Point,  or  Point  aux  Poules,  a  trading  post  of  the 
American  Fur  Company,  and  village  of  the  Pottawatamies, 
they  had  gained  a  favorable  crossing  by  making  a  deep  cut 
for  the  road  through  the  steep  right  bank.  And  here,  without 
intermission,  their  flat-bottomed  scows  plied,  crowded  with 
the  wagons,  and  cows,  and  sheep,  and  children,  and  furniture 
of  the  emigrants,  who,  in  waiting  their  turn,  made  the  woods 
around  smoke  with  their  crowding  camp-fires.  But  no  such 
good  fortune  as  a  gratuitous  passage  awaited  the  heavy  cattle, 
of  whom,  with  the  others,  no  less  than  thirty  thousand  were 
at  this  time  on  their  way  westward  ;  these  were  made  to 
earn  it  by  swimming. 

A  heavy  freshet  had  at  this  time  swollen  the  river  to  a 
width,  as  I  should  judge,  of  something  like  a  mile  and  a  half, 
and  dashed  past  its  fierce  current,  rushing,  gurgling,  and  ed- 
dying, as  if' thrown  from  a  mill-race,  or  scriptural  fountain 
of  the  deep.  Its  aspect  did  not  invite  the  oxen  to  their  duty, 
and  the  labor  was  to  force  them  to  it.  They  were  gathered 
in  little  troops  upon  the  shore,  and  driven  forward  till  they 
lost  their  footing.  As  they  turned  their  heads  to  return,  they 
encountered  the  combined  opposition  of  a  clamorous  crowd 
of  bystanders,  vieing  with  each  other  in  the  pungent  adminis- 
tration of  inhospitable  affront.  Then  rose  their  hubbub  ;  their 
geeing  and  woing,  and  hawing  ;  their  yelling,  and  yelping, 
and  screaming ;  their  hooting,  and  hissing,  and  pelting.  The 
rearmost  steers  would  hesitate  to  brave  such  a  rebuff;  halting 
they  would  impede  the  return  of  the  outermost ;  they  all 
would  waver  ;  wavering  for  a  moment,  the  current  would 
sweep  them  together  downward.  At  this  jucture  a  fearless 
youngster,  climbing  upon  some  brave  bull  in  the  front  rank, 


248  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

would  urge  him  boldly  forth  into  the  stream ;  the  rest  then 
surely  followed  ;  a  few  moments  saw  them  struggling  in  mid 
current ;  a  few  more,  and  they  were  safely  landed  on  the  op- 
posite shore.  The  driver's  was  the  sought  after  post  of  honor 
here  ;  and  sometimes,  when  repeated  failures  have  urged 
them  to  emulation,  I  have  seen  the  youths,  in  stepping  from 
back  to  back  of  the  struggling  monsters,  or  swimming  in 
among  their  battling  hoofs,  display  feats  of  address  and  hardi- 
hood, that  would  have  made  Franconi's  or  the  Madrid  bull- 
ring vibrate  with  bravos  of  applause.  But  in  the  hours  after 
hours  that  I  have  watched  this  sport  at  the  ferry-side,  I  never 
heard  an  oath,  or  the  language  of  quarrel,  or  knew  it  provoke 
the  least  sign  of  ill-feeling. 

After  the  sorrowful  word  was  given  out  to  halt,  and  make 
preparations  for  winter,  a  chief  labor  became  the  making  hay  ; 
and  with  everyday  dawn  brigades  of  mowers  would  take  up 
the  march  to  their  positions  in  chosen  meadows,  a  prettier 
sight  than  a  charge  of  cavalry,  as  they  laid  their  swarths, 
whole  companies  of  scythes  abreast.  Before  this  time  the 
manliest,  as  well  as  most  general  daily  labor,  was  the  herding 
of  the  cattle  ;  the  only  wealth  of  the  Mormons,  and  more  and 
more  cherished  by  them,  with  the  increasing  pastoral  char- 
acter of  their  lives.  A  camp  could  not  be  pitched  in  any  spot 
without  soon  exhausting  the  freshness  of  the  pasture  around 
it ;  and  it  became  an  ever  recurring  task  to  guide  the  cattle, 
in  unbroken  droves,  to  the  nearest  places  where  it  was  still 
fresh  and  fattening.  Sometimes  it  was  necessary  to  go  farther, 
to  distant  ranges  which  were  known  as  feeding-grounds  of 
the  buffalo.  About  these  there  were  sure  to  prowl  parties  of 
thievish  Indians  ;  and  each  drove  therefore  had  its  escort  of 
mounted  men  and  boys,  who  learned  self-reliance  and  heroism, 
while  on  night-guard  alone,  among  the  silent  hills.  But  gen- 
erally the  cattle  were  driven  from  the  camp  at  the  dawn  of 
morning,  and  brought  back  thousands  together  in  the  evening, 


HEROISM    OF    THE    WOMEN-  249 

to  be  picketed  in  the  great  corral  or  enclosure,  where  beeves, 
bulls,  cows,  and  oxen,  with  the  horses,  mules,  hogs,  calves, 
sheep,  and  human  beings,  could  all  look  together  upon  the 
red  watch-fires,  with  the  feeling  of  security,  when  aroused  by 
the  Indian  stampede,  or  the  howlings  of  the  prairie-wolves 
at  moonrise. 

When  they  set  about  building  their  winter  houses,  too,  the 
Mormons  went  into  quite  considerable  timbering  operations, 
and  performed  desperate  feats  of  carpentry.  They  did  not 
come  ornamental  gentlemen  or  raw  apprentices,  to  extem- 
porize new  versions  of  Robinson  Crusoe.  It  was  a  comfort  to 
notice  the  readiness  with  which  they  turned  their  hands  to 
wood- craft ;  some  of  them,  though  I  believe  these  had  gene- 
rally been  bred  carpenters,  wheel-wrights,  or  more  particularly 
boat-builders,  quite  outdoing  the  most  notable  voyageurs  in 
the  use  of  the  axe.  One  of  these  would  fell  a  tree,  strip  off 
its  bark,  cut  and  split  up  the  trunk  in  piles  of  plank,  scant- 
ling, or  shingles ;  make  posts,  and  pins,  and  pales — every- 
thing wanted  almost,  of  the  branches  ;  and  treat  his  toil  from 
first  to  last  with  more  sportive  flourish  than  a  school-boy 
whittling  his  shingle. 

Inside  the  camp,  the  chief  labors  were  assigned  to  the 
women.  From  the  moment,  when  after  the  halt,  the  lines 
had  been  laid,  the  spring-wells  dug  out,  and  the  ovens  and 
fire-places  built,  though  the  men  still  assumed  to  set  the 
guards  and  enforce  the  regulations  of  police,  the  Empire  of  the 
Tented  Town  was  with  the  better  sex.  They  were  the  chief 
comforters  of  the  severest  sufferers,  the  kind  nurses  who  gave 
them  in  their  sickness  those  dear  attentions  with  which  pau- 
perism is  hardly  poor,  and  which  the  greatest  wealth  often 
fails  to  buy  ;  and  they  were  a  nation  of  most  wonderful  man- 
agers. They  could  hardly  be  called  housewives  in  etymolo- 
gical strictness  ;  but  it  was  plain  that  they  had  once  been 
such,  and  most  distinguished  ones.     Their  art  availed  them 


250  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

in  their  changed  affairs.  With  almost  their  entire  culinary 
material,  limited  to  the  milk  of  their  cows,  some  store  of  meal 
or  flour,  and  a  very  few  condiments,  they  brought  their  thou- 
sand and  one  receipts  into  play  with  a  success  that  outdid  for 
their  families  the  miracle  of  the  Hebrew  widow's  cruise. 
They  learned  to  make  butter  on  a  march  by  the  dashing  of 
the  wagon,  and  so  nicely  to  calculate  the  working  of  barm  in 
the  jolting  heats,  that  as  soon  after  the  halt  as  an  oven  could 
be  dug  in  the  hill-side  and  heated,  their  well-kneaded  loaf 
was  ready  for  baking,  and  produced  good  leavened  bread  for 
supper.  I  have  no  doubt  the  appetizing  zest,  their  humble 
lore  succeeded  in  imparting  to  diet  which  was  both  simple 
and  meagre,  availed  materially  for  the  health  as  well  as  the 
comfort  of  the  people. 

But  the  first  duty  of  the  Mormon  women  was,  through  all 
change  of  place  and  fortune,  to  keep  alive  the  altar  fire  of 
home.  Whatever  their  manifold  labors  for  the  day,  it  was 
their  effort  to  complete  them  against  the  sacred  hour  of  eve- 
ning fall ;  for,  by  that  time,  all  the  out- workers,  scouts,  ferry- 
men, or  bridgemen,  road-makers,  herdsmen,  or  hay-makers, 
had  finished  their  tasks,  and  come  into  their  rest ;  and  before 
the  last  smoke  of  the  supper-fire  curled  up,  reddening  in  the 
glow  of  sunset,  a  hundred  chimes  of  cattle  bells  announced 
their  looked-for  approach  across  the  open  hills,  and  the  women 
went  out  to  meet  them  at  the  camp-gates,  and  with  their 
children  in  their  laps  sat  by  them  at  the  cherished  family 
meal,  and  talked  over  the  events  of  the  well-spent  day. 

But  every  day  closed,  as  every  day  began,  with  an  invoca- 
tion of  the  Divine  favor ;  without  which,  indeed,  no  Mormon 
seemed  to  dare  to  lay  him  down  to  rest.  With  the  first 
shining  of  the  stars,  laughter  and  loud  talking  hushed,  the 
neighbor  went  his  way,  you  heard  the  last  hymn  sung,  and 
then  the  thousand-voiced  murmur  of  prayer  was  heard  like 
bubbling  water  falling  down  the  hills. 


INFLUENCE    OF   THE    MORMON    RELIGION.  251 

There  was  no  austerity,  however,  about  the  religion  of  Mor- 
monism.  Their  fasting  and  penance,  it  is  no  jest  to  say,  was 
altogether  involuntary  ;  they  made  no  merit  of  that ;  they 
kept  the  Sabbath  with  considerable  strictness  ;  they  were  too 
close  copyists  of  the  wanderers  of  Israel  in  other  respects  not 
to  have  learned,  like  them,  the  value  of  this  most  admirable 
of  the  Egypto-Mosaic  institutions.  But  the  rest  of  the  week 
their  religion  was  independent  of  ritual  observance.  They 
had  the  sort  of  strong  stomached  faith  that  is  still  found  em- 
balmed in  sheltered  spots  of  Catholic  Italy  and  Spain,  with 
the  spirit  of  the  believing  or  dark  ages.  It  was  altogether  too 
strongly  felt  to  be  dependent  on  intellectual  ingenuity  or  care- 
ful caution  of  the  ridiculous.  It  mixed  itself  up  fearlessly 
with  the  common  transactions  of  their  every-day  life,  and  only 
to  give  them  liveliness  and  color. 

If  any  passages  of  life  bear  better  than  others  a  double  in- 
terpretation, they  are  the  adventures  of  travel  and  of  the  field. 
What  old  persons  call  discomforts  and  discouraging  mishaps, 
are  the  very  elements  to  the  young  and  sanguine,  of  what  they 
are  willing  to  term  fun.  The  Mormons  took  the  young  and 
hopeful  side.  They  could  make  sport  and  frolic  of  their  trials, 
and  often  turn  right  sharp  suffering  into  right  round  laughter 
against  themselves.  I  certainly  heard  more  jests  and  Joe 
Millers  while  in  this  Papillon  Camp  than  I  am  likely  to  hear 
in  all  the  remainder  of  my  days. 

This,  too,  was  at  a  time  of  serious  affliction.  Besides  the 
ordinary  suffering  from  insufficient  food  and  shelter,  distressing 
and  mortal  sickness,  exacerbated,  if  not  originated  by  these 
causes,  was  greatly  prevalent. 

In  the  camp  nearest  us  on  the  west,  which  was  that  of  the 
bridging  party  near  the  Corne,  the  number  of  its  inhabitants 
being  small  enough  to  invite  computation,  I  found,  as  early 
as  the  31st  of  July,  that  37  per  cent,  of  its  inhabitants  were 
down  with  the  fever,  and  a  sort  of  strange  scorbutic  disease, 


252  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

frequently  fatal,  which  they  named  the  Black  Canker.  The 
camps  to  the  east  of  us,  which  were  all  on  the  eastern  side  of 
the  Missouri,  were  yet  worse  fated. 

The  climate  of  the  entire  upper  "  Misery  Bottom,"  as  they 
term  it,  is,  during  a  considerable  part  of  summer  and  autumn, 
singularly  pestiferous.  Its  rich  soil,  which  is  to  a  depth  far 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  plough  as  flat  as  the  earth  of  kitchen 
garden,  or  compost  heap,  is  annually  the  force-bed  of  a  vege- 
tation as  rank  as  that  of  the  tropics.  To  render  its  fatal  fer- 
tility the  greater,  it  is  everywhere  freely  watered  by  springs 
and  creeks,  and  larger  streams,  that  flow  into  it  from  both 
sides.  In  the  season  of  drought,  when  the  sun  enters  Virgo, 
these  dry  down  till  they  run  impure  as  open  sewers,  exposing 
to  the  day  foul  broad  flats,  mere  quagmires  of  black  dirt, 
stretching  along  for  miles,  unvaried,  except  by  the  limbs  of 
half-buried  carrion,  tree  trunks,  or  by  occasional  yellow  pools 
of  what  the  children  call  frog  spawn  ;  all  together  steaming 
up  thick  vapors  redolent  of  the  savor  of  death. 

The  same  is  the  habit  of  the  Great  River.  In  the  begin- 
ning of  August,  its  shores  hardly  could  contain  the  millions 
of  forest  logs,  and  tens  of  billions  of  gallons  of  turbid  water 
that  came  rushing  down  together  from  its  mountain  head- 
gates.  But  before  the  month  was  out,  the  freshet  had  all 
passed  by  ;  the  river  diminished  one  half,  threaded  feebly 
southward  through  the  centre  of  the  valley,  and  the  mud  of 
its  channel,  baked  and  creased,  made  a  wide  tile  pavement 
between  the  choking  crowd  of  reeds  and  sedgy  grasses,  and 
wet  stalked  weeds,  and  growths  of  marsh  meadow  flowers, 
the  garden  homes  at  this  tainted  season  of  venom,  crazy  snakes, 
and  the  fresher  ooze  by  the  water's  edge,  which  stank  in  the 
sun  like  a  naked  muscle  shoal. 

Then  the  plague  raged.  I  have  no  means  of  ascertaining 
the  mortality  of  the  Indians  who  inhabited  the  Bottom.  In 
1845,  the  year  previous,  which  was  not  more  unhealthy,  they 


THE    PLAGUE    IN   THE    WILDERNESS.  253 

lost  one  ninth  of  their  number  in  about  two  months.  The 
Mormons  were  scourged  severely.  The  exceeding  mortality 
among  some  of  them  was  no  doubt  in  the  main  attributable 
to  the  low  state  to  which  their  systems  had  been  brought  by 
long-continued  endurance  of  want  and  hardship.  It  is  to  be 
remembered  also  that  they  were  the  first  turners  up  of  the 
prairie  sod,  and  that  this  of  itself  made  them  liable  to  the 
sickness  of  new  countries.  It  was  where  their  agricultural 
operations  had  been  most  considerable,  and  in  situations  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  river,  where  the  prevalent  south-west 
winds  wafted  to  them  the  miasmata  of  its  shores,  that  disease 
was  most  rife. 

In  some  of  these,  the  fever  prevailed  to  such  an  extent  that 
hardly  any  escaped  it.  They  let  their  cows  go  unmilked ; 
they  wanted  for  voices  to  raise  the  psalm  of  Sundays ;  the 
few  who  were  able  to  keep  their  feet,  went  about  among  the 
tents  and  wagons  with  food  and  water,  like  nurses  through 
the  wards  of  an  infirmary.  Here,  at  one  time,  the  digging 
got  behind  hand  ;  burials  were  slow  ;  and  you  might  see 
women  sit  in  the  open  tents  keeping  the  flies  off  their  dead 
children,  some  time  after  decomposition  had  set  in. 

In  our  own  camp,  for  a  part  of  August  and  September, 
things  wore  an  unpleasant  aspect  enough.  Its  situation  was 
one  much  praised  for  its  comparative  salubrity  ;  but  perhaps 
on  this  account  the  number  of  cases  of  fever  among  us  was 
increased  by  the  hurrying  arrival  from  other  localities  of  par- 
ties in  whom  the  virus  leaven  of  disease  was  fermented  by 
forced  travel. 

But  I  am  excused  sufficiently  the  attempt  to  get  up  for 
your  entertainment  here  any  circumstantial  picture  of  horrors, 
by  the  fact,  that  at  the  most  interesting  season,  I  was  inca- 
pacitated for  nice  observation  by  an  attack  of  fever — mine  was 
what  they  call  the  congestive — that  it  required  the  utmost 
use  of  all  my  faculties  to  recover  from.     I  still  kept  my  tent 


254  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORM 

in  the  camp  line  ;  but,  for  as  much  as   a  month,  had  very 
small  notion  of  what  went  on  among  my  neighbors.     I  reeol- 
erhearing  a  lamentation  over  some  dear  baby,  that  its 
.-  no  dour.:  _  .  ying  angel  should  have 

..istructed  to  spare. 
•  m,  for  my  own  sake.  I  could  forget  how  impe 
-.1  mourned  the  5  of  a  poor  Saint,  who,  by 

clamor,  rendered  his  vicinity  troublesome.     He  no  doubt  en- 
dured great  pain  ;  for  he  groaned  shockingly  till  death  came 
to  his  relief     He  interfered  with  my  own  hard  gained  slum- 
■:A  I  was  glad  when  death  di  !  him. 

Before  my  attack,  I  was  fond  of  conversing  with  an  amia- 
ble old  man,  I  think  English  born,  who,  having  then  recently 
buried  his  only  daug..  grandson,  used  to  be  seen  sitting 

out  before   his  tent,  resting  his   sorrowful  forehead  on  his 
hands,  joined  over  a  smooth  white  oak  staff.     I  missed  him 
I  got  about  again  ;  probably  he  had  been  rny  moaning 
neighbor. 

Sfl    too,  having  been  much  ei  beams  at  this 

time,":  on  of  dismal  proces-  h  as  might  have 

been  formed  by  the  union  in  line  of  all  the  forlornest  and  ugli- 
est of  the  struggling  fugitives  from  Xauvoo,  I  happen  to  recall, 
as  I  write,  that  I  had  some  knowledge  somewhere  of  one  of 
our  new  comers,  for  whom  the  nightmare  revived,  and  repeat- 
\.out  intermission,  the  torment  of  his  trying  journey. 
.ay  feeding  life  with  long  drawn  breaths,  be  muttered, 
re's  next  water  ?     Team — give  out!     Hot,  hot — Ofod, 
the  wagon — stop  the  wajron — stop,  stop  the 
woke  him  ; — to  his  own  content — but  I  he- 
wed his  distressing  visions,  till 
jnder  slumber  came  on  from  which  no  earthly  hand 
or  voice  could  rouse  him  :  into  which,  I  hope,  he  did  not  car- 
ry them. 

In  a  half  dreamy  way,  I  remember,,  or  think  I  remember, 


ARRIVAL    OF    FUGITIVES    FROM    NAUVOO.  '255 

a  crowd  of  phantoms  like  these.  I  recall  but  one  fact,  how- 
ever, going  far  in  proof  of  a  considerable  mortality.  Earlier 
in  the  season,  while  going  westward  with  the  intention  of 
passing  the  Rocky  Mountains  that  summer,  I  had  opened 
with  the  assistance  of  Mormon  spades  and  shovels,  a  large 
mound  on  a  commanding  elevation,  the  tomb  of  a  warrior  of 
the  ancient  race  ;  and  continuing  on  my  way.  had  left  a  deep 
trench  excavated  entirely  through  it.  Returning  fever- struck 
to  the  Papillon  Camp,  I  found  it  planted  close  by  this  spot. 
It  was  just  forming  as  I  arrived  :  the  first  wagon,  if  I  mistake 
not,  having  but  a  day  or  two  halted  into  place.  My  fin 
ing  upon  my  convalescence  took  me  to  the  mound,  which, 
probably  to  save  digging,  had  been  re-adapted  to  its  original 
purpose.  In  this  brief  interval,  they  had  rilled  the  trench 
with  bodies,  and  furrowed  the  ground  with  graves  around  it. 
like  the  ploughing  of  a  field. 

The  lengthened  sojourn  of  the  Mormons  in  this  insalubrious 
region,  was  imposed  upon  them  by  circumstances  which  I 
must  now  advert  to. 

Though  the  season  was  late  when  they  first  crossed  the 
Missouri,  some  of  them  moved  forward  with  great  hopefulness, 
full  of  the  notion  of  viewing  and  choosing  their  new  homes 
that  year.  But  the  van  had  only  reached  Grand  Island  and 
the  Pawnee  villages,  when  they  were  overtaken  by  more  ill- 
news  from  Xauvoo.  Before  the  summer  closed,  their  ene- 
mies set  upon  the  last  remnant  oi  those  who  were  left  behind 
in  Illinois.  They  were  a  few  lingerers,  who  could  not  be 
persuaded  but  there  might  yet  be  time  for  them  to  gather  up 
their  worldly  goods  before  removing,  some  weakly  mothers 
and  their  infants,  a  few  delicate  young  girls,  and  many  crip- 
ples and  bereaved  and  sick  people.  These  had  remained  un- 
der shelter,  according  to  the  Mormon  statement  at  least,  by 
virtue  of  an  express  coveuaut  in  their  behalf.  If  there  was 
such    a    covenant,  it   was   broken.     A   vindictive   war  was 


256  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

waged  upon  them,  from  which  the  weakest  fled  in  scattered 
parties,  leaving  the  rest  to  make  a  reluctant  and  almost  lu- 
dicrously unavailing  defence  till  the  17th  day  of  September, 
when  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty-five  troops  en- 
tered Nauvoo,  and  drove  all  forth  who  had  not  retreated  be- 
fore that  time. 

Like  the  wounded  birds  of  a  flock  fired  into  toward  night- 
fall, they  came  straggling  on  with  faltering  steps,  many  of 
them  without  bag  or  baggage,  beast  or  barrow,  all  asking 
shelter  or  burial,  and  forcing  a  fresh  repartition  of  the  already 
divided  rations  of  their  friends.  It  was  plain  now  that  every 
energy  must  be  taxed  to  prevent  the  entire  expedition  from 
perishing.  Further  emigration  for  the  time  was  out  of  the 
question,  and  the  whole  people  prepared  themselves  for  en- 
countering another  winter  on  the  prairie. 

Happily  for  the  main  body,  they  found  themselves  at  this 
juncture  among  Indians,  who  were  amicably  disposed.  The 
lands  on  both  sides  of  the  Missouri  in  particular  were  owned 
by  the  Pottawatamies  and  Omahas,  two  tribes  whom  unjust 
treatment  by  our  United  States,  had  the  effect  of  rendering 
most  auspiciously  hospitable  to  strangers  whom  they  regarded 
as  persecuted  like  themselves. 

The  Pottawatamies,  on  the  eastern  side,  are  a  nation  from 
whom  the  United  States  bought  some  years  ago  a  number  of 
hundred  thousand  acres  of  the  finest  lands  they  have  ever 
brought  into  market.  Whatever  the  bargain  was,  the  sellers 
were  not  content  with  it ;  the  people  saying,  their  leaders 
were  cheated,  made  drunk,  bribed,  and  all  manner  of  naughty 
things  besides.  No  doubt  this  was  quite  as  much  of  a  libel 
on  the  fair  fame  of  this  particular  Indian  treaty,  as  such 
stories  generally  are  ;  for  the  land  to  which  the  tribe  was  re- 
moved in  pursuance  of  it,  was  admirably  adapted  to  enforce 
habits  of  civilized  thrift.  It  was  smooth  prairie,  wanting  in 
timber,  and  of  course  in  game  ;  and  the  humane  and  philan- 


THE    POTTAWATAMIES.  257 

thropic  might  rejoice  therefore  that  necessity  would  soon  in- 
doctrinate its  inhabitants  into  the  practice  of  agriculture. 
An  impracticable  few,  who  may  have  thought  these  advanta- 
ges more  than  compensated  by  the  insalubrity  of  their  allotted 
resting-place,  fled  to  the  extreme  wilds,  where  they  could 
find  deer  and  woods,  and  rocks,  and  running  water,  and 
where,  I  believe,  they  are  roaming  to  this  day.  The  remain- 
der, being  what  the  political  vocabulary  designates  on  such 
occasions  as  Friendly  Indians,  were  driven — marched  is  the 
word — galley-slaves  are  marched  thus  to  Barcelona  and 
Toulon — marched  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Missouri,  and 
planted  there.  Discontented  and  unhappy,  they  had  hardly 
begun  to  form  an  attachment  for  this  new  soil,  when  they 
were  persuaded  to  change  it  for  their  present  Fever  Patch, 
upon  the  Kaw  or  Kansas  River.  They  were  under  this  second 
sentence  of  transportation  when  the  Mormons  arrived  among 
them. 

They  were  pleased  with  the  Mormons.  They  would  have 
been  pleased  with  any  whites  who  would  not  cheat  them,  nor 
sell  them  whiskey,  nor  whip  them  for  their  poor  gipsy  habits, 
nor  bear  themselves  indecently  toward  their  women,  many  of 
whom,  among  the  Pottawatamies,  especially  those  of  nearly 
unmixed  French  descent,  are  singularly  comely,  and  some  of 
them  educated.  But  all  Indians  have  something  like  a  sen- 
timent of  reverence  for  the  insane,  and  admire  those  who  sac- 
rifice, without  apparent  motive,  their  worldly  welfare  to  the 
triumph  of  an  idea.  They  understand  the  meaning  of  what 
they  call  a  great  vow,  and  think  it  the  duty  of  the  right- 
minded  to  lighten  the  votary's  penance  under  it.  To  this 
feeling  they  united  the  sympathy  of  fellow-sufferers  for  those 
who  could  talk  to  them  of  their  own  Illinois,  and  tell  the 
story  how  from  it  they  also  had  been  ruthlessly  expelled. 

Their  hospitality  was  sincere,  almost  delicate.  Fanny  Le 
Clerc,  the  spoiled  child  of  the  great  brave,  Pied  Riche,  inter- 

17 


258  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

preter  of  the  Nation,  would  have  the  pale-face,  Miss  Devine, 
learn  duets  with  her  to  the  guitar  ;  and  the  daughter  of  sub- 
stantial Joseph  La  Framboise,  the  interpreter  of  the  United 
States, — she  died  of  the  fever  that  summer, — welcomed  all 
the  nicest  young  Mormon  Kitties  and  Lizzies,  and  Jennies  and 
Susans,  to  a  coffee-feast  at  her  father's  house,  which  was 
probably  the  best  cabin  in  the  river  village.  They  made  the 
Mormons  at  home  there  and  elsewhere.  Upon  all  their  lands 
they  formally  gave  them  leave  to  tarry  just  so  long  as  should 
suit  their  own  good  pleasure. 

The  affair,  of  course,  furnished  material  for  a  solemn 
council.  Under  the  auspices  of  an  officer  of  the  United 
States,  their  chiefs  were  summoned,  in  the  form  befitting 
great  occasions,  to  meet  in  the  dirty  yard  of  one  Mr.  P.  A. 
Sarpy's  log  trading  house,  at  their  village.  They  came  in 
grand  toilet,  moving  in  their  fantastic  attire  with  so  much 
aplomb  and  genteel  measure,  that  the  stranger  found  it  diffi- 
cult not  to  believe  them  high-born  gentlemen,  attending  a 
costumed  ball.  Their  aristocratically  thin  legs,  of  which 
they  displayed  fully  the  usual  Indian  proportion,  aided  this 
illusion.  There  is  something  too,  at  all  times,  very  mock- 
Indian  in  the  theatrical  French  millinery  tie  of  the  Pottawa- 
tamie  turban  ;  while  it  is  next  to  impossible  for  a  sober  white 
man,  at  first  sight,  to  believe  that  the  red,  green,  black,  blue 
and  yellow  cosmetics,  with  which  he  sees  such  grave  person- 
ages so  variously  dotted,  diapered,  cancelled  and  arabesqued, 
are  worn  by  them  in  any  mood  but  one  of  the  deepest  and 
most  desperate  quizzing.  From  the  time  of  their  first  squat 
upon  the  ground,  to  the  final  breaking  up  of  the  council  circle, 
they  sustained  their  characters  with  equal  self-possession  and 
address. 

I  will  not  take  it  upon  myself  to  describe  their  order  of 
ceremonies.  Indeed,  I  ought  not,  since  I  have  never  been 
able  to  view  the  habits  and  customs  of  our  Aborigines  in  any 


INTERVIEW    WITH    THE    INDIANS.  259 

other  light  than  that  of  a  reluctant  and  sorrowful  subject  of 
jest.  Besides,  in  this  instance,  the  displays  of  pow-wow  and 
eloquence  were  both  probably  moderated  by  the  conduct  of 
the  entire  transaction  on  temperance  principles.  I  therefore 
content  myself  with  observing,  generally,  that  the  proceed- 
ings were  such  as  every  way  became  the  grandeur  of  the 
parties  interested,  and  the  magnitude  of  the  interests  in- 
volved. When  the  Red  Men  had  indulged  to  satiety  in  to- 
bacco smoke  from  their  peace-pipes,  and  in  what  they  love 
still  better,  their  peculiar  metaphoric  rhodomontade,  which, 
beginning  with  the  celestial  bodies,  and  coursing  downwards 
over  the  grandest  sublunary  objects,  always  managed  to  alight 
at  last  on  their  Grand  Father  Polk,  and  the  tenderness  for 
him  of  his  affectionate  colored  children.  All  the  solemn 
funny  fellows  present,  who  played  the  part  of  chiefs,  signed 
formal  articles  of  convention  with  their  unpronounceable 
names. 

The  renowned  chief,  Pied  Riche — he  was  surnamed  Le 
Clerc  on  account  of  his  remarkable  scholarship, — then  rose, 
and  said : — 

"My  Mormon  Brethren, — The  Pottawatamie  came  sad  and 
tired  into  this  unhealthy  Missouri  Bottom,  not  many  years  back, 
when  he  was  taken  from  his  beautiful  country  beyond  the  Missis- 
sippi, which  had  abundant  game,  and  timber,  and  clear  water  every- 
where. Now  you  are  driven  away  the  same  from  your  lodges  and 
lands  there,  and  the  graves  of  your  people.  So  we  have  both  suf- 
fered. We  must  help  one  another,  and  the  Great  Spirit  will  help 
us  both.  You  are  now  free  to  cut  and  use  all  the  wood  you  may 
wish.  You  can  make  all  your  improvements,  and  live  on  any  part 
of  our  actual  land  not  occupied  by  us.  Because  one  suffers,  and 
does  not  deserve  it,  it  is  no  reason  he  shall  suffer  always,  I  say. 
We  may  live  to  see  all  right  yet.  However,  if  we  do  not,  our  chil- 
dren will. — Bon  jour." 


And   thus  ended  the  pageant.     I  give  this  speech 


as  a 


2G0  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

morsel  of  real  Indian.  It  was  recited  to  me  after  the  treaty 
by  the  Pottawatamie  orator  in  French,  which  language  he 
spoke  with  elegance.  Bon  jour  is  the  French,  Indian,  and 
English  hail  and  farewell  of  the  Pottawatamies. 

The  other  entertainers  of  the  Mormons  at  this  time,  the 
Omahas,  or  Mahaws,  are  one  of  the  union  tribes  of  the 
Grand  Prairie.  Their  Great  Father,  the  United  States,  has 
found  it  inconvenient  to  protect  so  remote  a  dependency 
against  the  overpowering  league  of  the  Dahcotahs  or  Sioux, 
and  has  judged  it  dangerous,  at  the  same  time,  to  allow  them 
to  protect  themselves,  by  entering  into  a  confederation  with 
others.  Under  the  pressure  of  this  paternal  embarrassment 
and  restraint,  it  has  therefore  happened  most  naturally,  that 
this  tribe,  once  a  powerful  and  valued  ally  of  ours,  has  been 
reduced  to  a  band  of  little  more  than  a  hundred  families  ;  and 
these,  a  few  years  more  will  entirely  extinguish.  When  I 
was  among  them,  they  were  so  ill-fed,  that  their  protruding 
high  cheek-bones  gave  them  the  air  of  a  tribe  of  consump- 
tives. The  buffalo  had  left  them,  and  no  good  ranges  lay 
within  several  hundred  miles'  reach.  Hardly  any  other  game 
found  cover  on  their  land.  What  little  there  was  they  were 
short  of  ammunition  to  kill.  Their  annuity  from  the  United 
States  was  trifling.  They  made  next  to  nothing  at  thieving. 
They  had  planted  some  corn  in  their  awkward  Indian  fashion, 
but  through  fear  of  ambush  dared  not  venture  out  to  harvest 
it.  A  chief  resource  for  them  the  winter  previous  had  been 
the  spoliation  of  their  neighbors,  the  Prairie  Field  Mice. 

These  interesting  little  people,  more  industrious  and  thrifty 
than  the  Mahaws,  garner  up  in  the  neat  little  cellars  of  their 
underground  homes,  the  small  seeds  or  beans  of  the  wood 
pea-vine,  which  are  black  and  hard,  but  quite  nutritious. 
Gathering  them  one  by  one,  a  single  mouse  will  thus  collect 
as  much  as  half  a  pint,  which  before  the  cold  weather  sets 
in  he  piles  away  in  a  dry  and  frost-proof  excavation,  cleverly 


THE    INDIAN    TRIBES    OF    THE    PRAIRIES.  261 

thatched  and  covered  in.  The  Omaha  animal,  who,  like 
enough,  may  have  idled  during  all  the  season  the  mouse  was 
amassing  his  toilsome  treasure,  finds  this  subterranean  gran- 
ary to  give  out  a  certain  peculiar  cavernous  vibration,  when 
briskly  tapped  upon  above  the  ground.  He  wanders  about, 
therefore,  striking  with  a  wand  in  hopeful  spots  ;  and  as  soon 
as  he  hears  the  hollow  sound  he  knows,  unearths  the  little 
retired  capitalist,  along  with  his  winter's  hope.  Mouse  wakes 
up  from  his  nap  to  starve,  and  Mahaw  swallows  several  rel- 
ishing mouthfuls. 

But  the  mouse  has  his  revenge  in  the  powerful  Sioux,  who 
wages  against  his  wretched  red  brother  an  almost  bootless  but 
exterminating  warfare.  He  robs  him  of  his  poor  human 
peltry.  One  of  my  friends  was  offered  for  sale  a  Sioux  scalp  of 
Omaha,  "  with  gray  hair  nearly  as  long  as  a  white  horse's  tail." 

The  pauper  Omahas  were  ready  to  solicit  as  a  favor  the 
residence  of  white  protectors  among  them.  The  Mormons 
harvested  and  stored  away  for  them  their  crops  of  maize  ; 
with  all  their  own  poverty,  they  spared  them  food  enough  be- 
sides, from  time  to  time,  to  save  them  from  absolutely  starv- 
ing ;  and  their  entrenched  camp,  to  the  north  of  the  Omaha 
villages,  served  as  a  sort  of  breakwater  between  them  and  the 
destroying  rush  of  the  Sioux. 

This  was  the  Head  Quarters  of  the  Mormon  Camps  of  Is- 
rael. The  miles  of  rich  prairie  enclosed  and  sown  with  the 
grain  they  could  contrive  to  spare,  and  the  houses,  stacks,  and 
cattle  shelters,  had  the  seeming  of  an  entire  county,  with  its 
people  and  improvements  transplanted  there  unbroken.  On 
a  pretty  plateau,  overlooking  the  river,  they  built  more  than 
seven  hundred  houses  in  a  single  town,  neatly  laid  out  with 
highways  and  byways,  and  fortified  with  breast-work,  stock- 
ade, and  blockhouses.  It  had,  too,  its  place  of  worship,  "  Tab- 
ernacle of  the  Congregation,"  and  various  large  workshops, 
and  mills  and  factories,  provided  with  water-power. 


262  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

They  had  no  camp  or  settlement  of  equal  size  in  the  Potta- 
watamie  country.  There  was  less  to  apprehend  here  from 
Indian  invasion  ;  and  the  people  scattered  themselves,  there- 
fore, along  the  rivers  and  streams,  and  in  the  timber-groves, 
wherever  they  found  inviting  localities  for  farming  operations. 
In  this  way  many  of  them  acquired  what  have  since  proved 
to  be  valuable  pre-emption  rights. 

Upon  the  Pottawatamie  lands,  scattered  through  the  border 
regions  of  Missouri  and  Iowa,  in  the  Sauk  and  Fox  country, 
a  few  among  the  Ioways,  among  the  Poncahs  in  a  great  com- 
pany upon  the  banks  of  the  L'Eau  qui  Coule,  or  Running 
Water  River,  and  at  the  Omaha  winter-quarters  ; — the  Mor- 
mons sustained  themselves  through  the  heavy  winter  of  1846 
—1847.  It  was  the  severest  of  their  trials;  and  if  I  aimed 
at  rhetorical  effect,  I  would  be  bound  to  offer  you  a  minute 
narrative  of  its  progress,  as  a  sort  of  climax  to  my  history. 
But  I  have,  I  think,  given  you  enough  of  the  Mormons'  sor- 
rows. We  are  all  of  us  content  to  sympathize  with  a  certain 
extent  of  suffering  ;  but  very  few  can  bear  the  recurring  yet 
scarcely  varied  narrative  of  another's  distress  without  some- 
thing of  impatience.  The  world  is  full  of  griefs,  and  we  can- 
not afford  to  extend  too  large  a  share  of  our  charity,  or  even 
our  commiseration  in  a  single  quarter. 

This  winter  was  the  turning-point  of  the  Mormon  fortunes  : 
those  who  lived  through  it  were  spared  to  witness  the  gradual 
return  of  better  times  ;  and  they  now  liken  it  to  the  passing 
of  a  dreary  night,  since  which  they  have  watched  the  coming 
of  a  steadily  brightening  day. 

Before  the  grass-growth  of  1847,  a  body  of  one  hundred  and 
forty-three  picked  men,  with  seventy  wagons,  drawn  by  their 
best  horses,  left  the  Omaha  quarters  under  the  command  of 
the  members  of  the  High  Council  who  had  wintered  there. 
They  carried  with  them  little  but  seed  and  farming  imple- 
ments, their  aim  being  to  plant  spring-crops  at  their  ultimate 


ARRIVAL    AT    THE    GREAT    SALT    LAKE    VALLEY, 


263 


destination.  They  relied  on  their  rifles  to  give  them  food,  but 
rarely  left  their  road  in  search  of  game.  They  made  long 
daily  marches,  and  moved  with  as  much  rapidity  as  possible. 
Against  the  season  when  ordinary  emigration  passes  the 
Missouri,  they  were  already  through  the  South  Pass  ;  and  a 
couple  of  short  days'  travel  beyond  it,  entered  upon  the  more 
arduous  portion  of  their  journey.  It  lay,  in  earnest,  through 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  They  turned  Fremont's  Peak,  Long's 
Peak,  the  Twins,  and  other  King  summits,  but  had  to  force 
their  way  over  other  mountains  of  the  rugged  Utah  range, 
sometimes  following  the  stony  bed  of  torrents,  the  head-waters 
of  some  of  the  mightiest  rivers  of  our  continent,  and  sometimes 
literally  cutting  their  road  through  heavy  and  ragged  timber. 
They  arrived  at  the  grand  basin  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  much 
exhausted,  but  without  losing  a  man,  and  in  time  to  plant  for 
a  partial  autumn  harvest. 

Another  party  started  after  these  pioneers,  from  the  Omaha 
winter-quarters,  in  the  summer.  They  had  566  wagons,  and 
carried  large  quantities  of  grain,  which  they  were  able  to  put 
in  the  ground  before  it  froze. 

The  same  season  also,  these  were  joined  by  a  part  of  the 
Battalion,  and  other  members  of  the  Church,  who  came  east- 
ward from  California  and  the  Sandwich  Islands.  Together, 
they  fortified  themselves  strongly  with  sunbrick  wall  and 
blockhouses,  and  living  safely  through  the  winter,  were  able  to 
tend  crops  that  yielded  ample  provision  for  the  ensuing  year. 

In  1848,  nearly  all  the  remaining  members  of  the  Church 
left  the  Missouri  country  in  a  succession  of  powerful  bands, 
invigorated  and  enriched  by  their  abundant  harvests  there ; 
and  that  year  so  fully  established  their  Commonwealth  of  the 
New  Covenant,  the  future  State  of  Deseret. 

I  may  not  undertake  to  describe  to  you  in  a  single  lecture, 
the  geography  of  Deseret,  and  its  great  basin.  Were  I  to 
consider  the  face  of  the  country,  its  military  position,  or  its 


264  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

climate,  and  its  natural  productions,  each  head,  I  am  confi- 
dent, would  claim  more  time  than  you  have  now  to  spare  me  ; 
for  Deseret  is  emphatically  a  new  country  ;  new  in  its  own 
characteristic  features,  newer  still  in  its  bringing  together 
within  its  limits  the  most  inconsistent  peculiarities  of  other 
countries.  I  cannot  aptly  compare  it  to  any.  Descend  from 
the  mountains,  where  you  have  the  scenery  and  climate  of 
Switzerland,  to  seek  the  sky  of  your  choice  among  the  many 
climates  of  Italy,  and  you  may  find  welling  out  of  the  same 
hills  the  freezing  springs  of  Mexico  and  the  hot  springs  of 
Iceland,  both  together  coursing  their  way  to  the  Salt  Sea  of 
Palestine,  in  the  plain  below.  The  pages  of  Malte  Brun  pro- 
vide me  with  a  less  truthful  parallel  to  it  than  those  which 
describe  the  happy  Valley  of  Rasselas,  or  the  Continent  of 
Balnibarbi. 

Let  me,  then,  press  on  with  my  history,  during  the  few 
minutes  that  remain  for  me. 

Only  two  events  have  occurred  to  menace  seriously  the  es- 
tablishment at  Deseret  :  the  first  threatened  to  destroy  its 
crops,  the  other  to  break  it  up  altogether. 

The  shores  of  the  Salt  Lake  are  infested  by  a  sort  of  insect 
pest,  which  claims  a  vile  resemblance  to  the  locust  of  the 
Syrian  Dead  Sea.  Wingless,  dumpy,  black,  swollen-headed, 
with  bulging  eyes  in  cases  like  goggles,  mounted  upon  legs  of 
steel  wire  and  clock  spring,  and  with  a  general  personal  ap- 
pearance that  justified  the  Mormons  in  comparing  him  to  a 
cross  of  the  spider  and  the  buffalo,  the  Deseret  cricket  comes 
down  from  the  mountains  at  a  certain  season  of  the  year,  in 
voracious  and  desolating  myriads.  It  was  just  at  this  season 
that  the  first  crops  of  the  new  settlers  were  in  the  full  glory 
of  their  youthful  green.  The  assailants  could  not  be  repulsed. 
The  Mormons^  after  their  fashion,  prayed  and  fought,  and 
fought  and  prayed,  but  to  no  purpose  ;  the  "  Black  Philis- 


DISCOVERY    OF    GOLD.  265 

tines"  mowed  their  way  even  with  the  ground,  leaving  it  as 
if  touched  with  an  acid,  or  burnt  by  fire. 

But  an  unlooked-for  ally  came  to  the  rescue.  Vast  armies 
of  bright  birds,  before  strangers  to  the  valley,  hastened  across 
the  lake  from  some  unknown  quarter,  and  gorged  themselves 
upon  the  well-fatted  enemy.  They  were  snow-white,  with 
little  heads,  and  clear,  dark  eyes,  and  little  feet,  and  long 
wings,  that  arched  in  flight  "  like  an  angel's."  At  first  the 
Mormons  thought  they  were  new  enemies  to  plague  them  ; 
but  when  they  found  them  hostile  only  to  the  locusts,  they 
were  careful  not  to  molest  them  in  their  friendly  office  ;  and 
to  this  end  declared  a  heavy  fine  against  all  who  should  kill 
or  annoy  them  with  fire-arms.  The  gulls  soon  grew  to  be 
tame  as  the  poultry,  and  the  delighted  little  children  learned 
to  call  them  their  pigeons.  They  disappeared  every  evening 
beyond  the  lake  ;  but,  returning  with  sunrise,  continued  their 
welcome  visitings  till  the  crickets  were  all  exterminated. 

This  curious  incident  recurred  the  following  year,  with  this 
variation,  that,  in  1849,  the  gulls  came  earlier,  and  saved 
the  wheat  crops  from  all  harm  whatever. 

A  severer  trial  than  the  visit  of  the  cricket  locusts  threat- 
ened Deseret,  in  the  discovery  of  tne  gold  of  California.  It 
was  due  to  a  party  of  the  Mormon  Battalion  recruited  on  the 
Missouri,  who,  on  their  way  home,  found  employment  at 
New  Helvetia.  They  were  digging  a  mill-race  there,  and 
threw  up  the  gold  dust  with  their  shovels.  You  all  know 
the  crazy  fever  that  broke  out  as  soon  as  this  was  announced. 
It  infected  every  one  through  California.  Where  the  gold 
was  discovered,  at  Sutter's  and  around,  the  standing  grain 
was  left  uncut  :  whites,  Indians,  and  mustees,  all  set  them  to 
gathering  gold,  every  other  labor  forsaken,  as  if  the  first 
comers  could  rob  the  casket  of  all  that  it  contained.  The 
disbanded  soldiers  came  to  the  valley  ;  they  showed  their 
poor   companions   pieces   of   the  yellow  treasure   they  had 


266  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

gained  ;    and  the   cry  was  raised,  "  To  California  !     To  the 
Gold  of  Ophir,  our  brethren  have  discovered  !   To  California  !" 

Some  of  you  have,  perhaps,  come  across  the  half-ironic  in- 
structions of  the  heads  of  the  Church  to  the  faithful  outside  the 
Valley  :— 

"  The  true  use  of  gold  is  for  paving  streets,  covering  houses, 
and  making  culinary  dishes  ;  and  when  the  Saints  shall  have 
preached  the  Gospel,  raised  grain,  and  built  up  cities  enough, 
the  Lord  will  open  up  the  way  for  a  supply  of  gold,  to  the 
perfect  satisfaction  of  his  people.  Until  then,  let  them  not 
be  over-anxious,  for  the  treasures  of  the  earth  are  in  the 
Lord's  storehouse,  and  he  will  open  the  doors  thereof  when 
and  where  he  pleases." 

The  enlightened  virtue  of  their  rulers  saved  the  people  and 
the  fortunes  of  Deseret.  A  few  only  went  away — and  they 
were  asked  in  kindness  never  to  return.  The  rest  remained 
to  be  healthy  and  happy,  to  "  raise  grain  and  build  up 
cities." 

The  history  of  the  Mormons  has  ever  since  been  the  un- 
broken record  of  the  most  wonderful  prosperity.  It  has 
looked  as  though  the  elements  of  fortune,  obedient  to  a  law 
of  natural  re-action,  were  struggling  to  compensate  to  them 
their  undue  share  of  suffering.  They  may  be  pardoned  for 
deeming  it  miraculous.  But,  in  truth,  the  economist  accounts 
for  it  all,  who  explains  to  us  the  speedy  recuperation  of  cities, 
laid  in  ruin  by  flood,  fire,  and  earthquake.  During  its  years 
of  trial,  Mormon  labor  has  subsisted  on  insufficient  capital, 
and  under  many  trials,  but  it  has  subsisted,  and  survives  them 
now,  as  intelligent' and  powerful  as  ever  it  was  at  Nauvoo  ; 
with  this  difference,  that  it  has  in  the  meantime  been  educa- 
ted to  habits  of  unmatched  thrift,  energy,  and  endurance,  and 
has  been  transplanted  to  a  situation  where  it  is  in  every  re- 
spect more  productive.  Moreover,  during  all  the  period  of 
their  journey,  while  some  have  gained  by  practice  in  handi- 


MORMON    PRUDENCE    AND    PROSPERITY.  267 

craft,  and  the  experience  of  repeated  essays  at  their  various 
halting-places,  the  minds  of  all  have  been  busy  framing  de- 
signs and  planning  the  improvements  they  have  since  found 
opportunity  to  execute. 

The  territory  of  the  Mormons  is  unequalled  as  a  stock- 
raising  country.  The  finest  pastures  of  Lombardy  are  not 
more  estimable  than  those  on  the  east  side  of  the  Utah  Lake 
and  Jordan  River.  We  find  here  that  cereal  anomaly,  the 
Bunch  grass.  In  May,  when  the  other  grasses  push,  this  fine 
plant  dries  upon  its  stalk,  and  becomes  a  light  yellow  straw, 
full  of  flavor  and  nourishment.  It  continues  thus,  through 
what  are  the  dry  months  of  the  climate,  till  January,  and 
then  starts  with  a  vigorous  growth,  like  that  of  our  own  win- 
ter wheat  in  April,  which  keep  on  till  the  return  of  another 
May.  Whether  as  straw  or  grass,  the  cattle  fatten  on  it  the 
year  round.  The  numerous  little  dells  and  sheltered  spots 
that  are  found  in  the  mountains,  are  excellent  sheep-walks ; 
it  is  said  that  the  wool  which  is  grown  upon  them  is  of  an 
unusually  fine  pile  and  soft  texture.  Hogs  fatten  on  a  suc- 
culent bulb  or  tuber,  called  the  Seacoe,  or  Seegose  Root, 
which  I  hope  will  soon  be  naturalized  with  us.  It  is  highly 
esteemed  as  a  table-vegetable  by  Mormons  and  Indians,  and 
I  remark  that  they  are  cultivating  it  with  interest  at  the 
French  Garden  of  Plants.  The  emigrant  poultry  have  taken 
the  best  care  of  each  other,  only  needing  liberty  to  provide 
themselves  with  every  other  blessing. 

The  Mormons  have  also  been  singularly  happy  in  their  In- 
dian relations.  They  have  not  made  the  common  mistake  of 
supposing  savages  insensible  to  courtesy  of  demeanor ;  but, 
being  taught  by  their  religion  to  regard  them  all  as  decayed 
brethren,  have  always  treated  the  silly,  wicked  souls  with  kind- 
hearted  civility.  Though  their  outlay  for  tobacco,  wampum, 
and  vermillion  has  been  of  the  very  smallest,  yet  they  have 
never  failed  to  purchase  what  good-will  they  have  wanted. 


263  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

Hence  it  happens  that  in  their  Land  of  Promise  they  are  on 
the  best  of  terms  with  all  the  Canaanites,  and  Hittites,  and 
Hivites,  and  Amorites,  and  Gergashites,  and  Perizzites,  and 
Jebnsites,  within  its  borders ;  while  they  "  maintain  their 
cherished  relations  of  amity  with  the  rest  of  mankind,"  who, 
in  their  case,  include  a  sort  of  latest  remnant  of  the  primeval 
primates,  called  the  Root-Diggers.  The  Diggers,  who  in 
stature,  strength,  and  general  personal  appearance,  may  be 
likened  to  a  society,  of  old  negro  women,  are  only  to  be 
dreaded  for  their  exceeding  ugliness.  The  tribes  that  rob  and 
murder  in  war,  and  otherwise  live  more  like  white  men,  are 
however  numerous  all  around  them. 

Fortunately,  upon  the  marauding  expeditions,  and  in  mat- 
ters that  affect  their  freebooting  relations  generally,  they  all 
obey  the  great  war-chief  of  the  tribe  called  the  Utahs,  in  the 
heart  of  whose  proper  territory  the  Mormon  settlements  are 
comprehended. 

If  accounts  are  true,  the  Utahs  are  brave  fellows.  They 
differ  obviously  from  the  deceased  nations,  to  whose  estates 
we  have  taken  it  upon  ourselves  to  administer.  They  ride 
strong,  well-limbed  Spanish  horses,  not  ponies  ;  bear  well-cut 
rifles,  not  shot-guns,  across  their  saddle-bows,  and  are  not 
without  some  idea  of  military  discipline.  They  carry  their 
forays  far  into  the  Mexican  States,  laying  the  inhabitants  un- 
der contribution,  and  taking  captive  persons  of  condition, 
whom  they  hold  to  ransom.  They  are,  as  yet  at  least,  little 
given  to  drink  ;  some  of  them  manifest  considerable  desire  to 
acquire  useful  knowledge  ;  and  they  are  attached  to  their  own 
infidel  notions  of  religion,  making  long  journeys  to  the  ancient 
cities  of  the  Colorado,  to  worship  among  the  ruined  temples 
there.  The  Soldan  of  these  red  Paynims,  too,  their  great  war- 
chief,  is  not  without  his  knightly  graces.  According  to  some 
of  the  Mormons,  he  is  the  paragon  of  Indians.  His  name, 
translated  to  dimmish  its  excellence  as  an  exercise  in  Prosody, 


THE    UTAH    CHIEF.  269 

is  Walker.  He  is  a  fine  figure  of  a  man.  in  the  prime  of 
life.  He  excels  in  various  manly  exercises,  is  a  crack  shot,  a 
rough  rider,  and  a  great  judge  of  horse-flesh. 

He  is  besides  very  clever,  in  our  sense  of  the  word.  He  is 
a  peculiarly  eloquent  master  of  the  graceful  alphabet  of  pan- 
tomime, which  stranger  tribes  employ  to  communicate  with 
one  another.  He  has  picked  up  some  English,  and  is  familiar 
with  Spanish  and  several  Indian  tongues.  He  rather  affects 
the  fine  gentleman.  When  it  is  his  pleasure  to  extend  his 
riding  excursions  into  Mexico,  to  inflict  or  threaten  outrage, 
or  to  receive  the  instalments  of  his  black  mail  salary,  he  will 
take  offence  if  the  poor  people  there  fail  to  kill  their  fattest 
beeves,  and  adopt  other  measures  to  show  him  obsequious  and 
distinguished  attention.  He  has  more  than  one  black-eyed 
mistress  there,  according  to  his  own  account,  to  whom  he 
makes  love  in  her  own  language.  His  dress  is  a  full  suit  of 
the  richest  broadcloth,  generally  brown,  cut  in  European 
fashion,  with  a  shining  beaver  hat,  and  fine  cambric  shirt. 
To  these  he  adds  his  own  gaudy  Indian  trimmings,  and  in  this 
way  contrives,  they  say,  to  look  superbly,  when  he  rides  at  the 
head  of  his  troop,  whose  richly  caparisoned  horses,  with  their 
embroidered  saddles  and  harness,  shine  and  tinkle  as  they 
prance  under  the  weight  of  gay  metal  ornaments. 

With  all  his  wild-cat  fierceness,  Walker  is  perfectly  velvet- 
pawed  to  the  Mormons.  There  is  a  queer  story  about  his 
being  influenced  in  their  favor  by  a  dream.  It  is  the  fact, 
that  from  the  first  he  has  received  the  Mormon  exiles  into  his 
kingdom  with  a  generosity  that,  in  its  limited  sphere,  trans- 
cends that  of  the  Grand  Monarch  to  the  English  Jacobites. 
He  rejoices  to  give  them  the  information  they  want  about  the 
character  of  the  country  under  his  rule,  advises  with  them  as 
to  the  advantages  of  particular  localities,  and  wherever  they 
choose  to  make  their  settlements,  guarantees  them  personal 
safety,  and  immunity  from  depredation 


270  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

From  the  first,  therefore,  the  Mormons  have  had  little  or 
nothing  to  do  in  Deseret,  but  attend  to  their  mechanical  and 
strictly  agricultural  pursuits.  They  have  made  several  suc- 
cessful settlements  ;  the  farthest  north,  at  what  they  term 
Brownsville,  is  above  forty  miles  ;  and  the  farthest  south,  in  a 
valley  called  the  Sanpeech,  two  hundred  miles  from  that  first 
formed.  A  duplicate  of  the  Lake  Tiberias,  or  Genesareth, 
empties  its  waters  into  the  innocent  Dead  Sea  of  Deseret,  by 
a  fine  river,  to  which  the  Mormons  have  given  the  name — it 
was  impossible  to  give  it  any  other — of  the  Western  Jordan. 

It  was  on  the  right  bank  of  the  stream,  at  a  choice  spot 
upon  a  rich  table  land,  traversed  by  a  great  company  of  ex- 
haustless  streams  falling  from  the  highlands,  that  the  Pioneer 
band  of  Mormons,  coming  out  of  the  mountains  in  the  night, 
pitched  their  first  camp  in  the  Valley,  and  consecrated  the 
ground.  Curiously  enough,  this  very  spot  proved  the  most 
favorable  site  for  their  chief  settlement,  and  after  exploring 
the  whole  country,  they  have  founded  on  it  their  city  of  the 
New  Hierusalem.  Its  houses  are  spread  to  command  as  much 
as  possible  the  farms,  which  are  laid  out  in  wards  or  cantons, 
with  a  common  fence  to  each  ward.  The  farms  in  wheat 
already  cover  a  space  greater  than  the  district  of  Columbia, 
over  all  of  which  they  have  completed  the  canals,  and  other 
arrangements,  for  bountiful  irrigation,  after  the  manner  of  the 
cultivators  of  the  East.  The  houses  are  distributed  over  an 
area  nearly  as  great  as  the  City  of  New  York. 

They  have  little  thought  as  yet  of  luxury  in  their  public 
buildings  ;  but  they  will  soon  have  nearly  completed  a  large 
common  public  store-many  house  and  granary,  and  a  great 
sized  public  bath-house.  One  of  the  wonderful  thermal 
springs  of  the  valley,  a  white  sulphur  water,  of  the  tempera- 
ture of  102^  Fahrenheit,  with  a  head  "the  thickness  of  a 
man's  body,"  they  have  already  brought  into  the  town  for 
this  purpose  ;  and  all  have  learned  the  habit  of  indulging  in 


CALIFORNIA    EMIGRANTS.  271 

it.  They  have  besides  a  yellow  brick  meeting-house,  one 
hundred  feet  by  sixty,  in  which  they  gather  on  Sundays  and 
in  the  week-day  evenings  ;  but  this  is  only  a  temporary  struc- 
ture. They  have  reserved  a  summit  level  in  the  heart  of  the 
city,  for  the  site  of  a  Temple  far  superior  to  that  of  Nauvoo, 
which,  in  the  days  of  their  future  wealth  and  power,  is  to  be 
the  landmark  of  the  Basin,  and  goal  of  future  pilgrims. 

They  mean  to  seek  no  other  resting-place.  After  pitching 
camps  enough  to  exhaust  many  times  over  the  chapter  of 
names  in  33d  Numbers,  they  have  at  last  come  to  their 
Promised  Land,  and.  "  behold,  it  is  a  good  land  and  large, 
and  flowing  with  milk  and  honey  ;"  and  here  again  for 
them,  as  at  Nauvoo,  the  forge  smokes  and  the  anvil  rings,  and 
whirring  wheels  go  round.  Again  has  returned  the  merry 
sport  of  childhood,  and  the  evening  quiet  of  old  age,  and  again 
dear  house-pet  flowers  bloom  in  garden  plots  round  happy 
homes. 

It  is  to  these  homes,  in  the  heart  of  our  American  Alps, 
like  the  holy  people  of  the  Grand  Saint  Bernard,  they  hold 
out  their  welcome  to  the  passing  traveller.  Some  of  you 
have  probably  seen,  in  the  St.  Louis  papers,  the  repeated 
votes  of  thanks  to  them  of  companies  of  emigrants  to  Califor- 
nia. These  are  often  reduced  to  great  straits  after  passing 
Fort  Laramie,  and  turn  aside  to  seek  the  Salt  Lake  Colony  in 
pitiable  plights  of  fatigue  and  destitution.  The  road,  after 
leaving  the  Oregon  trace,  is  one  of  increasing  difficulty  ;  and 
when  the  last  mountain  has  been  crossed,  passes  along  the 
bottom  of  a  deep  Canon,  whose  scenery  is  of  an  almost  terrific 
gloom.  It  is  a  defile  that  I  trust  no  Mormon  Martin  Hofer 
of  this  Western  Tyrol  will  be  called  to  consecrate  to  liberty 
with  blood.  At  every  turn,  the  overhanging  cliffs  threaten 
to  break  down  upon  the  little  torrent  river  that  has  worn  its 
way  at  their  base.  Indeed,  the  narrow  ravine  is  so  serrated 
by  this  stream,  that  the  road  crosses  it  from  one  side  to  the 


272  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

other,  something  like  forty  times  in  the  last  five  miles.  At 
the  end  of  the  ravine,  the  emigrant  comes  abruptly  out  of  the 
dark  pass  into  the  lighted  valley,  on  an  even  bench  or  terrace 
of  its  upper  table  land.  No  wonder  if  he  loses  his  self-control 
here.  A  ravishing  panoramic  landscape  opens  out  below  him, 
blue,  and  green,  and  gold,  and  pearl ;  a  great  sea  with  hilly 
islands,  rivers,  a  lake,  and  broad  sheets  of  grassy  plain,  all  set, 
as  in  a  silver  chased  cup,  within  mountains  whose  peaks  of 
perpetual  snow  are  burnished  by  a  dazzling  sun.  It  is  less 
these,  however,  than  the  fore-ground  of  old  country  farms, 
with  their  stacks,  and  thatchings,  and  stock,  and  the  central 
city,  smoking  from  its  chimneys,  and  swarming  with  working 
inhabitants,  that  tries  the  men  of  fatigue-broken  nerves.  The 
"  Californeys"  scream,  they  sing,  they  give  three  cheers,  and 
do  not  count  them  ;  a  few  have  prayed,  more  swear,  some 
fall  on  their  faces,  and  cry  outright.  News  arrived  a  few 
days  since  from  a  poor  townsman  of  ours,  a  journeyman  sad- 
dler, that  used  to  work  up  Market  Street  beyond  Broad,  by 
name  Gillian,  who  sought  the  Yalley,  his  cattle  given  out,  and 
himself  broke  down  and  half  heart-broken.  The  recluse  Mor- 
mons fed  and  housed  him  and  his  party,  and  he  made  his  way 
through  to  the  gold  diggings  with  restored  health  and  strength. 
To  Gillian's  credit  for  manhood,  should  perhaps  be  cited  his 
own  allegation,  that  he  first  whistled  through  his  fingers 
various  popular,  nocturnal,  street,  circus,  and  theatre  calls  ; 
but  it  is  certain  that,  when  my  tidings  speak  of  him,  which 
was  when  he  was  afterwards  hospitably  entreated  by  a  Mor- 
mon, whom  he  knew  ten  years  ago  as  one  of  our  Chester 
County  farmers,  he  was  completely  dissolved  into  something 
not  far  from  the  hysterics,  and  wept  on  till  the  tears  ran 
down  his  dusty  beard. 

Several  hundred  emigrants,  in  more  or  less  distress,  receiv- 
ed gratuitous  assistance  last  year  from  the  Mormons. 

Their  community  must  go  on  thriving     They  are  to  be  the 


CALIFORNIA    EMIGRANTS.  273 

chief  workers  and  contractors  upon  "  Whitney's  Railroad,"  or 
whatever  scheme  is  to  unite  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  by  way 
of  the  South  Pass  ;  and  their  valley  must  be  its  central  sta- 
tion. They  have  already  raised  a  "  Perpetual  Fund"  for  "the 
final  fulfilment  of  the  covenant  make  by  the  Saints  in  the 
Temple  at  Nauvoo,"  which  "is  not  to  cease  till  all  the  poor 
are  brought  to  the  Valley. "  All  the  poor  still  lingering  be- 
hind, will  be  brought  there  ;  so  at  an  early  period,  will  the 
fifty  thousand  communicants,  the  Church  already  numbers  in 
Great  Britain,  with  all  the  other  "increase  among  the  Gen- 
tiles." Their  place  of  rendezvous  will  be  upon  what  were 
formerly  the  Pottawatamie  lands.  The  interests  of  the  state 
have  been  admirably  cared  for.  It  now  comprises  the  thriv- 
ing counties  of  "  Fremont"  and  "  Pottawatamie,"  in  which 
the  Mormons  still  number  a  majority  of  the  inhabitants.  Their 
chief  town  is  growing  rapidly,  already  boasting  over  three 
thousand  inhabitants,  with  nineteen  large  merchants'  stores, 
the  mail  lines  and  five  regular  steam-packets  running  to  it, 
and  other  western  evidences  of  prosperity  ;  besides  a  fine  Mu- 
sic Hall  and  public  buildings,  and  the  printing  establishment 
of  a  very  ably  edited  newspaper,  The  Frontier  Guardian. 

It  is  probably  the  best  station  on  the  Missouri  for  commen- 
cing the  overland  journey  to  Oregon  and  California  ;  as  travel- 
lers can  follow  directly  from  it  the  Mormon  road,  which,  in 
addition  to  other  advantages,  proves  to  be  more  salubrious 
than  those  to  the  south  of  it.  Large  numbers  are  expected 
to  arrive  at  this  point  from  England  during  the  present  spring, 
on  their  way  to  the  Salt  Lake.  They  will  repay  their  wel- 
come ;  for  every  working  person  gained  to  the  hive  of  their 
"  Honey  State"  counts  as  added  wealth.  So  far,  the  Mor- 
mons write  in  congratulation,  that  they  have  not  among 
them  "  a  single  loafer,  rich  or  poor,  idle  gentleman,  or  lazy 
vagabond."  They  are  no  communists  ;  but  their  experience 
has  taught  them  the  gain  of  joint-stock  to  capital,  and  com- 

18 


074  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

bination  to  labor, — perhaps  something  more;  for  I  remark 
they  have  recently  made  arrangements  "  to  classify  their  me- 
chanics," which  is  probably  a  step  in  the  right  direction. 
They  will  be  successful  manufacturers,  for  their  vigorous  land- 
locked industry  cannot  be  tampered  with  by  protection.  They 
have  no  gold — they  have  not  hunted  for  it ;  but  they  have 
found  wealth  of  other  valuable  minerals  :  rock-salt  enough  to 
do  the  curing  of  the  world, — i:  We'll  salt  the  Union  for  you," 
they  write,  "  if  you  can't  preserve  it  in  any  other  way  ;"  per- 
haps coal;  excellent  ores  of  iron  everywhere.  They  are  near 
enough,  however,  to  the  Californian  Sierra  to  be  the  chief 
quartermasters  of  its  miners  ;  and  they  will  dig  their  own 
gold  in  their  unlimited  fields  of  admirably  fertile  land.  I 
should  only  invite  your  incredulity,  and  the  disgust  of  the 
Horticultural  Society,  by  giving  you  certain  measurements  of 
mammoth  beets,  turnips,  pumpkins,  and  garden  vegetables,  in 
my  possession.  In  that  country  where  stock  thrives  care-free, 
— where  a  poor  man's  thirty-two  potatoes  saved  can  return 
him  eighteen  bushels,  and  two  and  a  half  bushels  of  wheat 
sown  yield  three  hundred  and  fifty  bushels  in  a  season, — or 
where  an  average  crop  of  wheat  on  irrigated  lands  is  fifty 
bushels  to  the  acre  ;  the  farmer's  part  is  hardly  to  be  despised. 
Certainly  it  will  not  be  under  a  continuance  of  the  present 
prices-current  of  the  region,  wheat  at  four  dollars  the  bushel, 
and  flour  twelve  dollars  the  cwt.,  with  a  ready  market. 

The  recent  letters  from  Deseret  interest  me  in  one  thing 
more.  They  are  eloquent  in  describing  the  anniversary  of 
the  Pioneers'  arrival  in  the  Valley.  It  was  on  the  24th  of 
July  ;  and  they  have  ordained  that  that  day  shall  be  com- 
memorated in  future,  like  our  21st  of  December,  as  their 
Forefathers'  Day.  The  noble  AValker  attended  as  an  invited 
guest,  with  two  hundred  of  his  best-dressed  mounted  cavaliers, 
who  stalked  their  guns,  and  took  up  their  places  at  the  cere- 
monies and  banquet,  with  the  quit  precision  of  soldiers  march- 


A    FESTIVAL    AT    DESERET.  275 

ed  to  mass.  The  Great  Band  was  there,  too,  that  had  helped 
their  humble  hymns  through  all  the  wanderings  of  the  wil- 
derness. Through  the  many  trying  marches  of  1846, — through 
the  fierce  winter  ordeal  that  followed,  and  the  long  journey 
after  over  plain  and  mountain, — it  had  gone  unbroken,  with- 
out the  loss  of  any  of  its  members.  As  they  set  out  from 
England,  and  as  they  set  out  from  Illinois,  so  they  all  came 
into  the  Valley  together,  and  together  sounded  the  first  glad 
notes  of  triumph  when  the  Salt  Lake  City  was  founded.  It 
was  their  right  to  lead  the  psalm  of  praise.  Anthem,  song 
and  dance, — all  the  innocent  and  thankful  frolic  of  the  day 
owed  them  its  chief  zest.  "  They  never  were  in  finer  key." 
The  people  felt  their  sorrows  ended.  Far  "West,  their  old 
settlement  in  Missouri,  and  Natjvoo  ;  with  their  wealth  and 
ease,  like  "  Pithom  and  Ramses,  treasure  cities  built  for  Pha- 
raoh," went  awhile  forgotten.  Less  than  four  years  had  re- 
stored them  every  comfort  that  they  needed.  Their  enter- 
tainment, the  contribution  of  all,  I  have  no  doubt  was  really 
sumptuous.  It  was  spread  on  broad  buffet  tables,  about  four- 
teen hundred  feet  in  length,  at  which  they  took  their  seats  by 
turns,  while  they  kept  them  heaped  with  ornamented  delica- 
cies, "  butter  of  kine,  and  milk,  with  fat  of  lambs,  with  the 
fat  of  kidneys  of  wheat ;"  "  and  the  cucumbers,  and  the  mel- 
ons, and  the  leeks,  and  the  onions,  and  the  garlic,  and  the 
remembered  fish,  which  we  did  eat  in  Egypt  freely."  They 
seem  unable  to  dilate  with  too  much  pride  upon  the  show  it 
made. 

"  To  behold  the  tables,"  says  one  that  I  quote  from  literal- 
ly, "  to  behold  them  filling  the  Bowery  and  all  adjoining 
grounds,  loaded  with  all  luxuries  of  the  fields  and  gardens,  and 
nearly  all  the  varieties  that  any  vegetable  market  in  the 
world  could  produce,  and  to  see  the  seats  around  those  tables 
filled  and  refilled  by  a  people  who  had  been  deprived  of  those 
luxuries  for  years  by  the  cruel  hand  of  oppression,  and  freely 


276  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

offering  seats  to  every  stranger  within  their  borders,— and 
this,  too,  in  the  Valley  of  the  Mountains,  over  a  thousand 
miles  from  civilization,  where,  two  years  before,  naught  was 
to  be  found  save  the  wild  root  of  the  prairie  and  the  moun- 
tain cricket ;  was  a  theme  of  unbounded  thanksgiving  and 
praise  to  the  Giver  of  all  Good,  as  the  dawning  of  a  day  when 
the  Children  of  the  Kingdom  can  sit  under  their  own  vines 
and  fig-trees,  and  inhabit  their  own  houses,  having  none  to 
make  them  afraid.  May  the  time  be  hastened  when  the 
scattered  Israel  may  partake  of  such  like  banquets  from  the 
gardens  of  Joseph  I" 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Beigham  Young's  Addeess  to  the  Saints  theoughout  the 
Woeld — Mission  of  the  Twelve  Apostles — The  Gatheeing 
— Utah  Teeeitoey — Moemonism  in  Geeat  Beitain — Emigea- 
tion  feom  Liveepool — Ageiceltuee  and  the  Aets  in  the 
Salt  Lake  Yallet — Eepoet  by  eecent  Teavellees  of  the 
Peospeeity  of  the  new  Colony. 

The  narrative  of  Colonel  Kane,  which  has  been  impugned 
by  many  persons  in  America  as  giving  too  favorable  an  ac- 
count of  the  Mormons,  relates  to  the  most  important  incident 
in  the  history  of  the  sect.  We  have  reproduced  it  in  extenso, 
not  only  for  its  interest,  but  because  it  is  the  only  consecutive 
account  of  the  exodus  of  the  Mormons,  from  Nauvoo  to  the 
Valley  of  the  Salt  Lake,  which  has  been  given  to  the  world. 
Colonel  Kane,  in  a  postscript  to  his  pamphlet,  reiterates  the 
truth  of  all  he  has  stated,  and  bears  a  cordial  testimony  to 
the  virtues  of  the  men  with  whom  he  made  the  long  and 
painful  journey  through  the  wilderness.  Having  now  traced 
the  rise  and  progress  of  this  extraordinary  religion,  of  which 
the  chief  incidents  have  been  enacted  in  America,  we  enter 
upon  a  new  portion  of  our  subject,  and  proceed  to  show  what 
the  Mormons  have  accomplished  in  the  Great  Salt  Lake 
Valley,  the  means  they  have- adopted  to  gather  the  "  Saints" 
into  that  place  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  the  develop- 
ments, both  social  and  doctrinal,  which  have  resulted  since 
the  Church  has  been  under  the  guidance  of  Brigham  Young 
and  Orson  Pratt. 


2*78  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

Prior  to  the  arrival  of  the  several  detachments  of  the  Mor- 
mon people  at  the  Salt  Lake,  the  following  general  epistle 
from  the  council  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  was  addressed  "  to 
the  Saints  throughout  the  earth,"  from  Council  Bluffs,  the 
half-way  station  of  the  long  overland  journey  to  California  : — 

"  Beloved  Brethren, — At  no  period  since  the  organization  of 
the  Church,  on  the  6th  of  April,  1830,  have  the  Saints  been  so  ex- 
tensively scattered,  and  their  means  of  receiving  information  from 
the  proper  source  so  limited,  as  since  their  expulsion  from  Illinois  ; 
and  the  time  has  now  arrived  when  it  will  be  profitable  for  you  to 
receive,  by  our  epistle,  such  information  and  instruction  as  the 
Father  hath  in  store,  and  which  he  has  made  manifest  by  his  Spirit. 

"  Knowing  the  designs  of  our  enemies,  we  left  Nauvoo  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1846,  with  a  large  pioneer  company,  for  the  purpose  of  finding 
a  place  where  the  Saints  might  gather  and  dwell  in  peace.  The 
season  was  very  unfavorable  ;  and  the  repeated  and  excessive  rains, 
and  scarcity  of  provisions,  retarded  our  progress,  and  compelled  us  to 
leave  a  portion  of  the  camp  in  the  wilderness,  at  a  place  we  called 
Garden  Grove,  composed  of  an  enclosure  for  an  extensive  farm  and 
sixteen  houses,  the  fruits  of  our  labor ;  and  soon  after,  from  similar 
causes,  we  located  another  place,  called  Mount  Pisgah,  leaving 
another  portion  of  the  camp;  and  after  searching  the  route,  making 
the  road  and  bridges  over  a  multitude  of  streams,  for  more  than 
three  hundred  miles,  mostly  on  lands  then  occupied  by  the  Potta- 
watamie  Indians,  and  since  vacated  in  favor  of  the  United  States, 
lying  on  the  south  and  west,  and  included  within  the  boundary  of 
Iowa,  we  arrived  near  Council  Bluffs,  on  the  Missouri  River,  during 
the  latter  part  of  June,  where  we  were  met  by  Captain  J.  Allen, 
from  Fort  Leavenworth,  soliciting  us  to  enlist  five  hundred  men  into 
the  service  of  the  United  States.  To  this  call  of  our  country  wTe 
promptly  responded ;  and  before  the  middle  of  July,  more  than  five 
hundred  of  the  brethren  were  embodied  in  the  '  Mormon  Battalion,' 
and  on  their  march  for  California,  by  way  of  Fort  Leavenworth, 
under  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  J.  Allen,  leaving  hundreds 
of  wagons,  teams,  and  families,  destitute  of  protectors  and  guardians, 
on  the  open  prairie,  in  a  savage  country,  far  from  the  abodes  of  civil- 


T^^e^ 

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GREAT   SALT   LAKE   CITY. 


EPISTLE    TO    THE    SAINTS.  281 

ized  life,  and  farther  still  from  any  place  where  they  might  hope  to 
locate. 

"  Our  camp,  although  aware  of  a  cold  northern  winter  approach- 
ing, with  all  attendant  evils, — famine,  risk  of  life  in  an  unhealthy 
climate,  Indian  depredations,  and  everything  of  a  like  nature  that 
would  tend  to  make  life  gloomy, — responded  to  this  call  of  the  Presi- 
dent with  all  the  alacrity  that  is  due  from  children  to  a  parent ;  and 
when  the  strength  of  our  camp  had  taken  its  departure  in  the  bat- 
talion, the  aged,  the  infirm,  the  widow,  and  the  fatherless  that  re- 
mained, full  of  hope  and  buoyant  with  faith,  determined  to  prosecute 
their  journey :  a  small  portion  of  which  went  as  far  west  as  the 
Pawnee  Mission,  where,  finding  it  too  late  to  pass  the  mountains, 
they  turned  aside  to  winter  on  the  bank  of  the  Missouri,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Running  Water,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
north-west  of  the  Missouri  settlements ;  while  the  far  more  exten- 
sive and  feeble  numbers  located  at  this  place,  called  by  us  Winter 
Quarters,  where  upwards  of  seven  hundred  houses  were  built  in  the 
short  space  of  about  three  months  ;  while  the  great  majority  located 
on  Pottawatamie  lands.  In  July  there  were  more  than  two  thou- 
sand emigrating  wagons  between  this  and  Nauvoo. 

"In  September,  1846,  an  infuriated  mob,  clad  in  all  the  horrors  of 
war,  fell  on  the  Saints  who  had  still  remained  at  Nauvoo  for  want 
of  means  to  remove,  murdered  some,  and  drove  the  remainder  across 
the  Mississippi  into  Iowa,  where,  destitute  of  houses,  tents,  clothing, 
or  money,  they  received  temporary  assistance  from  some  benevolent 
souls  in  Quincy,  St.  Louis,  and  other  places,  whose  names  will  ever 
be  remembered  with  gratitude.  But  at  that  period  the  Saints  were 
obliged  to  scatter  to  the  north,  south,  east,  and  west,  wherever  they 
could  find  shelter  and  procure  employment.  And  hard  as  it  was  to 
write  it,  it  must  ever  remain  a  truth  on  the  page  of  history,  that 
while  the  flower  of  Israel's  camp  was  sustaining  the  wing  of  the 
American  eagle  by  their  influence  and  arms  in  a  foreign  country, 
their  brothers,  sisters,  fathers,  mothers,  and  children,  were  driven  by 
mob  violence  from  a  free  and  independent  State  of  the  same  national 
republic,  and  were  compelled  to  flee  from  the  fire,  the  sword,  the 
musket,  and  the  cannon's  mouth,  as  from  the  demon  of  death.  From 
that  time  to  this  the  Latter-Day  Saints  have  been  roaming  without 
home  from  Canada  to  New  Orleans,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pa- 


282  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

ciiic  Ocean,  and  have  taken  up  their  abode  in  foreign  lands.  Their 
property  in  Hancock  County,  Illinois,  was  little  or  no  better  than 
confiscated.  Many  of  their  houses  were  burned  by  the  mob,  and 
they  were  obliged  to  leave  most  of  those  that  remained  without  sale, 
and  those  who  bargained  sold  almost  for  a  song  ;  for  the  influence 
of  their  enemies  was  to  cause  such  a  diminution  in  property,  that 
from  a  handsome  estate  was  seldom  realized  enough  to  remove  the 
family  comfortably  away ;  and  thousands  have  since  been  wander- 
ing to  and  fro,  destitute,  afflicted,  and  distressed  for  the  common  ne- 
cessaries of  life,  or  unable  to  endure,  have  sickened  and  died  by 
hundreds,  while  the  temple  of  the  Lord  is  left  solitary  in  the  midst 
of  our  enemies,,an  enduring  monument  of  the  diligence  and  integri- 
ty of  the  Saints. 

"  Lieut.-Colonel  Allen  died  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  much  lamented 
by  the  '  Mormon  Battalion,'  who  proceeded  en  route  by  way  of  Santa 
Fe,  from  whence  a  small  portion,  who  were  sick,  returned  to  Pueblo 
to  winter ;  while  the  remainder  continued  their  march,  mostly  on 
half-rations,  or  meat  without  salt,  making  new  roads,  digging  deep 
wells  in  the  desert,  levelling  mountains,  performing  severe  labors, 
and  undergoing  the  utmost  fatigue  and  hardship  ever  endured  by  in- 
fantry, as  reported  by  Colonel  Cooke,  their  commanding  officer,  and 
arrived  in  California,  in  the  neighborhood  of  San  Diego,  with  the 
loss  of  very  few  men. 

"  Soon  after  the  battalion  left  the  Bluffs,  three  of  our  Council 
took  their  departure  for  England,  where  they  spent  the  winter, 
preaching  and  setting  in  order  all  things  pertaining  to  the  Church, 
and  returned  to  this  place  in  the  spring  of  1847,  as  did  also  the 
camp  from  Running  Water  for  provisions. 

"  On  April  14,  the  remainder  of  the  Council,  in  company  of  one 
hundred  and  forty-three  pioneers,  left  this  place  in  search  of  a  loca- 
tion, and  making  a  new  road,  a  majority  of  more  than  one  thousand 
miles  westward,  arrived  at  the  Great  Basin  in  the  latter  part  of  July, 
where  we  found  a  beautiful  valley  of  some  twenty  by  thirty  miles  in 
extent,  with  a  lofty  range  of  mountains  on  the  east,  capped  with  per- 
petual snow,  and  a  beautiful  line  of  mountains  on  the  west,  watered 
with  daily  showers  ;  the  Utah  Lake  on  the  south,  hid  by  a  range  of 
hills  ;  north-west  extending  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  interspersed 
with  lofty  islands,  and  a  continuation  of  the  valley ;  or  opening  on  the 


EPISTLE    TO    THE    SAINTS.  283 

north,  extending  along  the  eastern  shore  about  sixty  miles  to  the 
mouth  of  Bear  River.  The  soil  of  the  valley  appeared  good,  but 
will  require  irrigation  to  promote  vegetation,  though  there  arc  many 
small  streams  emptying  in  from  the  mountains,  and  the  Western 
Jordan  (Utah  Outlet)  passes  through  from  south  to  north.  The 
climate  is  warm,  dry,  and  healthy  ;  good  salt  abounds  at  the  lake  ; 
warm,  hot,  and  cold  springs  are  common  ;  mill  sites  excellent ;  but 
the  valley  is  destitute  of  timber.  The  box,  the  fir,  the  pine,  the 
sugar-maple,  &c,  may  be  found  on  the  mountains  sufficient  for  im- 
mediate consumption,  or  until  more  can  grow. 

"  In  this  valley  we  located  a  site  for  a  city,  to  be  called  the  Great 
Salt  Lake  City,  of  the  Great  Basin,  North  America ;  and,  for  the 
convenience  of  the  Saints,  instituted  and  located  the  Great  Basin 
Post-office  at  this  point.  The  city  is  surveyed  in  blocks  of  ten  acres, 
eight  lots  to  a  block,  with  streets  eight  rods  wide,  crossing  at  right 
angles.  One  block  is  reserved  for  a  temple,  and  several  more  in 
different  parts  of  the  city  for  public  grounds. 

"  Soon  after  our  arrival  in  the  city,  we  were  joined  by  that  portion 
of  the  battalion  who  had  been  stationed  at  Pueblo,  and  a  small  camp 
of  the  Saints  from  Mississippi,  who  had  wintered  at  the  same  place, 
who  united  with  the  pioneers  in  ploughing,  planting,  and  sowing 
near  100  acres,  with  a  great  variety  of  seeds,  and  in  laying  the 
foundation  of  a  row  of  houses  around  a  ten  acre  block,  and  nearly 
completing  the  same  on  one  side.  Materials  for  brick  and  stone 
buildings  are  abundant. 

"  After  tarrying  four  or  five  weeks,  most  of  the  pioneers  com- 
menced their  return,  nearly  destitute  of  provision,  accompanied  by  a 
part  of  the  battalion,  who  were  quite  destitute,  except  a  very  small 
quantity  of  beef,  which  was  soon  exhausted.  The  company  had  to 
depend  for  their  subsistence  on  wild  beasts,  such  as  buffalo,  deer, 
antelope,  &c,  which  most  of  the  way  were  very  scarce,  and  many 
obtained  were  exceedingly  poor  and  unwholesome.  Between  the 
Green  and  Sweetwater  Rivers,  we  met  566  wagons  of  the  emigrat- 
ing Saints  on  their  way  to  the  valley,  at  our  last  encampment  with 
whom  we  had  fifty  horses  and  mules  stolen  by  the  Indians ;  and  a 
few  days  after  we  were  attacked  by  a  large  war  party  of  Sionx 
who  drove  off  many  of  our  horses,  but  most  of  these  were  recovered. 
Our  route  was  by  Fort  Bridger,  the   South  Pass,  Fort  John  (Lo- 


282  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

cific  Ocean,  and  have  taken  up  their  abode  in  foreign  lands.  Their 
property  in  Hancock  County,  Illinois,  was  little  or  no  better  than 
confiscated.  Many  of  their  houses  were  burned  by  the  mob,  and 
they  were  obliged  to  leave  most  of  those  that  remained  without  sale, 
and  those  who  bargained  sold  almost  for  a  song ;  for  the  influence 
of  their  enemies  was  to  cause  such  a  diminution  in  property,  that 
from  a  handsome  estate  was  seldom  realized  enough  to  remove  the 
family  comfortably  away;  and  thousands  have  since  been  wander- 
ing to  and  fro,  destitute,  afflicted,  and  distressed  for  the  common  ne- 
cessaries of  life,  or  unable  to  endure,  have  sickened  and  died  by 
hundreds,  while  the  temple  of  the  Lord  is  left  solitary  in  the  midst 
of  our  enemies,,an  enduring  monument  of  the  diligence  and  integri- 
ty of  the  Saints. 

"  Lieut.-Colonel  Allen  died  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  much  lamented 
by  the  '  Mormon  Battalion,'  who  proceeded  en  route  by  way  of  Santa 
Fe,  from  whence  a  small  portion,  who  were  sick,  returned  to  Pueblo 
to  winter ;  while  the  remainder  continued  their  march,  mostly  on 
half-rations,  or  meat  without  salt,  making  new  roads,  digging  deep 
wells  in  the  desert,  levelling  mountains,  performing  severe  labors, 
and  undergoing  the  utmost  fatigue  and  hardship  ever  endured  by  in- 
fantry, as  reported  by  Colonel  Cooke,  their  commanding  officer,  and 
arrived  in  California,  in  the  neighborhood  of  San  Diego,  with  the 
loss  of  very  few  men. 

"  Soon  after  the  battalion  left  the  Bluffs,  three  of  our  Council 
took  their  departure  for  England,  where  they  spent  the  winter, 
preaching  and  setting  in  order  all  things  pertaining  to  the  Church, 
and  returned  to  this  place  in  the  spring  of  1847,  as  did  also  the 
camp  from  Running  Water  for  provisions. 

"  On  April  14,  the  remainder  of  the  Council,  in  company  of  one 
hundred  and  forty-three  pioneers,  left  this  place  in  search  of  a  loca- 
tion, and  making  a  new  road,  a  majority  of  more  than  one  thousand 
miles  westward,  arrived  at  the  Great  Basin  in  the  latter  part  of  July, 
where  we  found  a  beautiful  valley  of  some  twenty  by  thirty  miles  in 
extent,  with  a  lofty  range  of  mountains  on  the  east,  capped  with  per- 
petual snow,  and  a  beautiful  line  of  mountains  on  the  west,  watered 
with  daily  showers  ;  the  Utah  Lake  on  the  south,  hid  by  a  range  of 
hills  ;  north-west  extending  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  interspersed 
with  lofty  islands,  and  a  continuation  of  the  valley ;  or  opening  on  the 


EPISTLE    TO    THE    SAINTS.  283 

north,  extending  along  the  eastern  shore  about  sixty  miles  to  the 
mouth  of  Bear  River.  The  soil  of  the  valley  appeared  good,  but 
will  require  irrigation  to  promote  vegetation,  though  there  are  many 
small  streams  emptying  in  from  the  mountains,  and  the  Western 
Jordan  (Utah  Outlet)  passes  through  from  south  to  north.  The 
climate  is  warm,  dry,  and  healthy  ;  good  salt  abounds  at  the  lake ; 
warm,  hot,  and  cold  springs  are  common  ;  mill  sites  excellent ;  but 
the  valley  is  destitute  of  timber.  The  box,  the  fir,  the  pine,  the 
sugar-maple,  &c,  may  be  found  on  the  mountains  sufficient  for  im- 
mediate consumption,  or  until  more  can  grow. 

"  In  this  valley  we  located  a  site  for  a  city,  to  be  called  the  Great 
Salt  Lake  City,  of  the  Great  Basin,  North  America ;  and,  for  the 
convenience  of  the  Saints,  instituted  and  located  the  Great  Basin 
Post-office  at  this  point.  The  city  is  surveyed  in  blocks  of  ten  acres, 
eight  lots  to  a  block,  with  streets  eight  rods  wide,  crossing  at  right 
angles.  One  block  is  reserved  for  a  temple,  and  several  more  in 
different  parts  of  the  city  for  public  grounds. 

"  Soon  after  our  arrival  in  the  city,  we  were  joined  by  that  portion 
of  the  battalion  who  had  been  stationed  at  Pueblo,  and  a  small  camp 
of  the  Saints  from  Mississippi,  who  had  wintered  at  the  same  place, 
who  united  with  the  pioneers  in  ploughing,  planting,  and  sowing 
near  100  acres,  with  a  great  variety  of  seeds,  and  in  laying  the 
foundation  of  a  row  of  houses  around  a  ten  acre  block,  and  nearly 
completing  the  same  on  one  side.  Materials  for  brick  and  stone 
buildings  are  abundant. 

"  After  tarrying  four  or  five  weeks,  most  of  the  pioneers  com- 
menced their  return,  nearly  destitute  of  provision,  accompanied  by  a 
part  of  the  battalion,  who  were  quite  destitute,  except  a  very  small 
quantity  of  beef,  which  was  soon  exhausted.  The  company  had  to 
depend  for  their  subsistence  on  wild  beasts,  such  as  buffalo,  deer, 
antelope,  &c,  which  most  of  the  way  were  very  scarce,  and  many 
obtained  were  exceedingly  poor  and  unwholesome.  Between  the 
Green  and  Sweetwater  Rivers,  we  met  566  wagons  of  the  emigrat- 
ing Saints  on  their  way  to  the  valley,  at  our  last  encampment  with 
whom  we  had  fifty  horses  and  mules  stolen  by  the  Indians;  and  a 
few  days  after  we  were  attacked  by  a  large  war  party  of  Sioux 
who  drove  off  many  of  our  horses,  but  most  of  these  were  recovered. 
Our  route  was  by  Fort  Bridger,  the   South  Pass,  Fort  John  (Lo- 


284  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

raine),  and  from  thence  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Platte,  to  Winter 
Quarters,  where  we  arrived  on  the  31st  of  October,  all  well;  hav- 
ing performed  this  long  and  tedious  journey,  with  ox  as  well  as 
hoise  teams,  and  with  little  food  except  wild  flesh,  without  losing  a 
single  man,  although  many  were  sick  when  they  left  in  the  spring, 
inasmuch  as  they  were  unable  to  walk  until  we  had  travelled  more 
tian  one  half  of  the  outward  distance. 

"  On  the  11th  instant,  fifteen  of  the  battalion  arrived  from  Califor- 
nia, with  a  pilot  from  the  valley,  having  suffered  much  on  their  re- 
turn from  cold  and  hunger,  with  no  provisions  part  of  the  way  but 
a  little  horse-flesh  of  the  worst  kind.  From  these  Brethren  we  re- 
ceived intelligence  that  the  battalion  was  discharged  in  California  in 
July,  agreeably  to  the  time  of  their  enlistment ;  that  a  portion  of  the 
battalion,  constituting  a  company,  under  Captain  Davis,  had  re-en- 
listed to  sustain  a  military  post  in  California  ;  that  many  had  com- 
menced labor  to  procure  means  to  return  ;  that  a  small  portion  had 
come  on  to  the  Great  Salt  Lake  City,  where  they  found  the  emi- 
grants which  we  passed  in  the  mountains  alive,  and  in  good  health 
and  spirits,  except  three  deaths  ;  and  that  some  of  the  battalion,  who 
had  left  the  valley  with  them,  had  stopped  on  the  Sweetwater,  search- 
ing for  buffalo,  who  with  others,  in  all  about  thirty,  arrived  here  on 
the  18th  instant,  penniless  and  destitute,  having  suffered  from  much 
cold  and  hunger,  subsisting  on  their  worn-out  mules  and  horses. 

"  All  who  possibly  could  went  to  the  valley  this  season ;  and  the 
Saints  now  in  this  vicinity  have  had  to  depend  on  their  own  resources 
in  labor  for  their  sustenance,  which,  on  account  of  the  absence  of 
those  engaged  in  the  Government  service,  the  sickness  that  has  pre- 
vailed in  camp,  and  the  destruction  of  the  cattle  by  the  Indians,  con- 
sists mostly  of  corn,  with  a  few  garden  vegetables. 

"  The  Saints  in  this  vicinity  are  bearing  tneir  privations  in  meek- 
ness and  patience,  and  making  all  their  exertions  to  their  removal 
westward.  Their  hearts  and  all  their  labors  are  towards  the  setting 
sun,  for  they  desire  to  be  so  far  removed  from  those  who  have  been 
their  oppressors,  that  there  shall  be  an  everlasting  barrier  between 
them  and  future  persecution;  and  although,  as  a  people,  we  have 
been  driven  from  state  to  state,  and  although  Joseph  and  Hyrum, 
our  Prophet  and  Patriarch,  were  murdered  in  cold  blood,  while  in 
Government  duress,  and  under  the  immediate  control,  inspection,  and 


EPISTLE    TO    THE    SAINTS.  285 

supervision  of  the  Governor  and  Government  officers,  we  know,  and 
feel  assured,  that  there  are  many  honest,  noble,  and  patriotic  souls 
now  living  under  that  government,  and  under  other  similar  govern- 
ments in  the  sister  states  of  the  great  confederacy,  who  would  loathe 
the  shedding  of  innocent  blood,  and  were  it  in  their  power,  would 
wipe  the  stain  from  the  nation. 

"  If  such  would  clear  their  garments  in  the  public  eye  and  before 
God,  they  must  speak  out ;  they  must  proclaim  to  the  world  their 
innocence,  and  their  hatred  and  detestation  of  such  atrocious  and  un- 
heard-of acts.  But  with  this  we  have  nothing  to  do  ;  only  we  love 
honesty  and  right  wherever  we  find  them ;  the  cause  is  between 
them,  their  country,  and  their  God  :  and  we  again  reiterate  what  we 
have  often  said,  and  what  we  have  ever  shown  by  our  conduct,  that, 
notwithstanding  all  our  privations  and  sufferings,  we  are  more  ready 
than  any  portion  of  the  community  to  sustain  the  constitutional  in- 
stitutions of  our  mother  country,  and  will  do  the  utmost  for  them  if 
permitted  ;  and  we  say  to  all  Saints  throughout  the  earth,  Be  sub- 
missive to  the  law  that  protects  you  in  your  person,  rights,  and 
property,  in  whatever  nation  or  kingdom  you  are  ;  and  suffer  wrong 
rather  than  do  wrong.  This  we  have  ever  done,  and  mean  still  to 
continue  to  do.  We  anticipate,  as  soon  as  circumstances  will  per- 
mit, to  petition  for  a  territorial  government  in  the  Great  Basin. 

"  In  compliance  with  the  wishes  of  the  sub-agents,  we  expect  to 
vacate  the  Omaha  lands  in  the  spring.  Thus,  brethren,  we  have 
given  you  a  brief  idea  of  what  has  transpired  among  us  since  we 
left  Nauvoo  ;  the  present  situation  of  the  Saints  in  this  vicinity  ;  and 
of  our  feelings  and  views  in  genera],  as  preparatory  to  the  reply 
which  we  are  about  to  give  to  the  cry  of  the  Saints  from  all  quarters, 
What  shall  we  do  ? 

"  Gather  yourselves  together  speedily,  near  to  this  place,  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Missouri  River,  and,  if  possible,  be  ready  to  start 
from  hence  by  the  1st  of  May  next,  or  as  soon  as  grass  is  sufficiently 
grown,  and  go  to  the  Great  Salt  Lake  City,  with  bread-stuff  suffi- 
cient to  sustain  you  until  you  can  raise  grain  the  following  season. 
Let  the  Saints  who  have  been  driven  and  scattered  from  Nauvoo, 
and  all  others  in  the  Western  States,  gather  immediately  to  the  east 
bank  of  the  river,  bringing  with  them  all  the  young  stock,  of  various 
kinds,  they  possibly  can  :  and  let  all  the  Saints  in  the  United  States 


2S6  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

and  Canada  gather  to  the  same  place,  by  the  first  spring  navigation, 
or  as  soon  as  they  can,  bringing  their  money,  goods,  and  effects  with 
them ;  and,  so  far  as  they  can  consistently,  gather  young  stock  by 
the  way,  which  is  much  needed  here,  and  will  be  ready  sale.  And 
when  here,  let  all  who  can,  go  directly  over  the  mountains  ;  and 
those  who  cannot,  let  them  go  immediately  to  work  at  making  im- 
provements, raising  grain  and  stock,  on  the  lands  recently  vacated 
by  the  Pottawatamie  Indians,  and  owned  by  the  United  States,  and 
by  industry  they  can  soon  gather  sufficient  means  to  prosecute  their 
journey.  In  a  year  or  two  their  young  cattle  will  grow  into  teams ; 
by  interchange  of  labor  they  can  raise  their  own  grain  and  pro- 
visions, and  build  their  own  wagons;  and  by  sale  of  their  improve- 
ments to  citizens  who  will  gladly  come  and  occupy,  they  can  replen- 
ish their  clothing,  and  thus  speedily  and  comfortably  procure  an  out- 
fit. All  Saints  who  are  coming  on  this  route  will  do  well  to  furnish 
themselves  with  woollen  or  winter,  instead  of  summer  clothing,  gen- 
erally, as  they  will  be  exposed  to  many  chilling  blasts  before  they 
pass  the  mountain  heights. 

"  We  have  named  the  Pottawatamie  lands  as  the  best  place  for  the 
Brethren  to  assemble  on  the  route,  because  the  journey  is  so  very 
long,  that  they  must  have  a  stopping-place,  and  this  is  the  nearest 
point  to  their  final  destination,  which  makes  it  not  only  desirable, 
but  necessary  ;  and,  as  it  is  a  wilderness  country,  it  will  not  infringe 
on  the  rights  and  privileges  of  any  one  :  and  yet  it  is  so  near  West- 
ern Missouri,  that  a  few  days'  travel  will  give  them  an  opportunity 
of  trade,  if  necessity  requires,  and  this  is  the  best  general  rendez- 
vous that  now  presents,  without  intruding  on  the  rights  of  others. 

"  To  the  Saints  in  England,  Scotland,  Ireland,  Wales,  and  adja- 
cent islands  and  countries,  we  say,  Emigrate  as  speedily  as  possible 
to  this  vicinity,  looking  to,  and  following  the  counsel  of  the  Presi- 
dency at  Liverpool ;  shipping  to  New  Orleans,  and  from  thence  di- 
rect to  Council  Bluffs,  which  will  save  much  expense.  Those  who 
have  but  little  means,  and  little  or  no  labor,  will  soon  exhaust  that 
means  if  they  remain  where  they  are ;  therefore,  it  is  wisdom  that 
they  remove  without  delay ;  for  here  is  land,  on  which,  by  their  la- 
bor, they  can  speedily  better  their  condition  for  their  further  journey. 
And  to  all  Saints  in  any  country  bordering  upon  the  Atlantic  we 
would  say,  Pursue  the  same  course ;  come  immediately  and  prepare 


THE    GATHERING    TO    THE    NEW    ZION.  287 

to  go  west :  bringing  with  you  all  kinds  of  choice  seeds  of  grain, 
vegetables,  fruits,  shrubbery,  trees,  and  vines,  everything  that  will 
please  the  eye,  gladden  the  heart,  or  cheer  the  soul  of  man,  that 
grows  upon  the  face  of  the  whole  earth ;  also  the  best  stock  of 
beast,  bird,  and  fowl  of  every  kind  ;  also  the  best  tools  of  every  de- 
scription, and  machinery  for  spinning,  or  weaving,  and  dressing  cot- 
ton, wool,  flax,  and  silk,  &c.  &c,  or  models  and  descriptions  of  the 
same,  by  which  they  can  construct  them  ;  and  the  same  in  relation 
to  all  kinds  of  farming  utensils  and  husbandry,  such  as  corn  shel- 
ters, grain  threshers  and  cleaners,  smut-machines,  mills,  and  every 
implement  and  article  within  their  knowledge  that  shall  tend  to  pro- 
mote the  comfort,  health,  happiness,  or  prosperity  of  any  people.  So 
far  as  it  can  be  consistently  done,  bring  models  and  drafts,  and  let 
the  machinery  be  built  where  it  is  used,  which  will  save  great  ex- 
pense in  transportation,  particularly  in  heavy  machinery,  and  tools 
and  implements  generally. 

"  The  Brethren  must  recollect  that  from  this  point  they  pass 
through  a  savage  country,  and  their  safety  depends  on  good  fire- 
arms and  plenty  of  ammunition ;  and  then  they  may  have  their 
teams  run  off  in  open  daylight,  as  we  have  had,  unless  they  shall 
watch  closely  and  continually. 

"  The  Presidents  of  the  various  branches  will  cause  this  epistle  to 
be  read  to  those  under  their  counsel,  and  give  such  instruction  in 
accordance  therewith  as  the  Spirit  shall  dictate ;  teaching  them  to 
live  by  every  principle  of  righteousness,  walk  humbly  before  God, 
doing  his  will  in  all  things,  that  they  may  have  his  Spirit  to  lead 
them  and  assist  them  speedily  to  the  gathering  place  of  his  Saints. 

"  Let  the  Seventies,  High  Priests,  Elders,  Priests,  Teachers,  and 
Deacons  report  themselves  immediately  on  their  arrival  at  the  Bluffs 
to  the  presidency  of  their  respective  quorum  if  present,  and  if  not,  to 
the  presidency  or  council  of  the  place,  that  their  names  may  be  re- 
gistered with  their  quorum,  and  that  they  may  be  known  among 
their  Brethren. 

"  It  is  the  duty  of  all  parents  to  train  up  their  children  in  the  way 
they  should  go,  instructing  them  in  every  correct  principle  so  fast  as 
they  are  capable  of  receiving,  and  setting  an  example  worthy  of  imi- 
tation :  for  the  Lord  holds  parents  responsible  for  the  conduct  of 
their  children  until  they  arrive  at  the  years  of  accountability  before 


288  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

him  ;  and  the  parents  will  have  to  answer  for  all  misdemeanors 
arising  through  their  neglect.  Mothers  should  teach  their  little  ones 
to  pray  as  soon  as  they  are  able  to  talk.  Presiding  Elders  should 
be  particular  to  instruct  parents  concerning  their  duty,  and  Teachers 
and  Deacons  should  see  that  they  do  it. 

"  It  is  very  desirable  that  all  the  Saints  should  improve  every  op- 
portunity of  securing  at  least  a  copy  of  every  valuable  treatise  on 
education,  every  book,  map,  chart,  or  diagram  that  may  contain  in- 
teresting, useful,  and  attractive  matter,  to  gain  the  attention  of  chil- 
dren, and  cause  them  to  love  to  learn  to  read ;  and  also  every  his- 
torical, mathematical,  philosophical,  geographical,  geological,  astro- 
nomical, scientific,  practical,  and  all  other  variety  of  useful  and  inter- 
esting writings,  maps,  &c,  to  present  to  the  general  Church  Re- 
corder when  they  shall  arrive  at  their  destination — from  which  im- 
portant and  interesting  matter  may  be  gleaned  to  compile  the  most 
valuable  works  on  every  science  and  subject,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
rising  generation. 

"  We  have  a  printing-press  ;  and  any  one  who  can  take  good 
printing  or  writing  paper  to  the  Valley,  will  be  blessing  themselves 
and  the  Church.  We  also  want  all  kinds  of  mathematical  and  philo- 
sophical instruments,  together  with  all  rare  specimens  of  natural 
curiosities  and  works  of  art  that  can  be  gathered  and  brought  to  the 
Valley,  where,  and  from  which,  the  rising  generation  can  receive 
instruction;  and  if  the  Saints  will  be  diligent  in  these  matters,  we 
will  soon  have  the  best,  the  most  useful,  and  attractive  museum  on 
the  earth. 

"  Let  every  Elder  keep  a  journal,  and  gather  historical  facts  con- 
cerning the  Church  or  world,  with  specific  dates,  and  present,  the 
same  to  the  Historian  ;  also  let  the  presiding  officer  of  every  emi- 
grating company,  immediately  on  arrival,  see  that  his  clerk  presents 
the  Recorder  with  a  perfect  list  of  the  names  of  every  soul,  the 
number  of  wagons,  teams,  and  every  living  thing  in  his  camp  ;  and 
let  the  Saints  organize  at,  and  travel  from  the  Pottawatamie  district, 
according  to  the  pattern  which  will  there  be  given  them. 

"  Since  the  murder  of  President  Joseph  Smith,  many  false  prophets 
and  false  teachers  have  arisen,  and  tried  to  deceive  many,  during 
which  time  we  have  mostly  tarried  with  the  body  of  the  Church,  or 
been  seeking  a  new  location,  leaving  those  prophets  and  teachers  to 


THE    GATHERING    TO    THE    NEW    ZION.  289 

run  their  race  undisturbed,  who  have  died  natural  deaths  or  com- 
mitted suicide  ;  and  we  now,  having  it  in  contemplation  soon  to  re- 
organize the  Church,  according  to  the  original  pattern,  with  a  first 
Presidency  and  Patriarch,  feel  that  it  will  be  the  privilege  of  the 
Twelve,  ere  long,  to  spread  abroad  among  the  nations,  not  to  hinder 
the  gathering,  but  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  push  the  people — the 
honest  in  heart — together  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth. 

"  The  Saints  in  Western  California,  who  choose,  are  at  liberty  to 
remain,  and  ail  who  may  hereafter  arrive  on  the  western  coast  may 
exercise  their  privilege  of  tarrying  in  that  vicinity  or  of  coming  to 
head-quarters. 

"  The  Saints  in  the  Society  and  other  islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean 
are  at  liberty  to  tarry  where  they  are  for  the  time  being,  or  until 
further  notice ;  and  we  will  send  them  more  Elders  as  soon  as 
we  can.  But  if  a  few  of  their  young  or  middle-aged  intelligent 
brethren  wish  to  visit  us  at  the  Basin,  we  bid  them  God  speed,  and 
shall  be  happy  to  see  them. 

"  The  Saints  in  Australia,  China,  and  the  East  Indies  generally, 
will  do  well  to  ship  to  the  most  convenient  port  in  the  United  States, 
and  from  thence  make  to  this  point,  and  pursue  the  same  course  as 
do  others;  or,  if  they  find  it  more  convenient,  they  may  ship  to 
Western  Cai!cornia. 

"  We  wish  the  travelling  Elders  throughout  the  world  to  remem- 
ber the  revelations  of  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  and  say  nought 
to  this  generation  but  repentance ;  and  if  men  have  faith  to  repent, 
lead  them  into  the  waters  of  baptism,  lay  your  hands  upon  them  for 
the  reception  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  confirm  them  in  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints,  comfort  their  hearts,  teach  them 
the  principles  of  righteousness  and  uprightness  between  man  and 
man,  administer  to  them  bread  and  wine,  in  the  remembrance  of  the 
death  of  Jesus  Christ ;  and  if  they  want  further  information,  tell 
them  to  flee  to  Zion.  There  the  servants  of  God  will  be  ready  to 
wait  upon  them,  and  teach  them  all  things  that  pertain  to  salvation  ; 
and  anything  beyond  this  in  your  teaching  cometh  of  evil :  for  it  is 
not  required  at  your  hands,  but  leadeth  you  into  snares  and  tempta- 
tions, which  tendeth  to  condemnation.  Should  any  ask,  Where  is 
Zion  ?  tell  them  in  America ;  and  if  any  ask,  What  is  Zion  ?  tell 
them  the  pure  in  heart. 

19 


290  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

"  It  is  the  duty  of  the  rich  Saints  everywhere  to  assist  the  poor, 
according  to  their  ability,  to  gather ;  and  if  they  choose,  with  a 
covenant  and  promise  that  the  poor  thus  helped,  shall  repay  as  soon 
as  they  are  able.  It  is  also  the  duty  of  the  rich,  those  who  have 
the  intelligence  and  the  means,  to  come  home  forthwith  and  estab- 
lish factories  and  all  kinds  of  machinery  that  will  tend  to  give  em- 
ployment to  the  poor,  and  produce  those  articles  which  are  necessary 
for  the  comfort,  convenience,  health,  and  happiness  of  the  people ; 
and  no  one  need  to  be  at  a  loss  concerning  his  duty  in  these  mat- 
ters, if  he  will  walk  so  humbly  before  God  as  to  keep  the  small 
still  whisperings  of  the  Holy  Ghost  within  him  continually. 

"  Let  all  Saints  who  love  God  more  than  their  own  dear  selves 
— and  none  else  are  Saints — gather  without  delay  to  the  place  ap- 
pointed, bringing  their  gold,  their  silver,  their  copper,  their  zinc, 
their  tin,  and  brass,  and  iron,  and  choice  steel,  and  ivory,  and 
precious  stones ;  their  curiosities  of  science,  of  art,  of  nature,  and 
everything  in  their  possession  or  within  their  reach,  to  build  in 
strength  and  stability,  to  beautify,  to  adorn,  to  embellish,  to  delight, 
and  to  cast  a  fragrance  over,  the  house  of  the  Lord ;  with  sweet 
instruments  of  music  and  melody,  and  songs,  and  fragrance,  and 
sweet  odors,  and  beautiful  colors  :  whether  it  be  in  precious  jewels, 
or  minerals,  or  choice  ores,  or  in  wisdom  and  knowledge  or  under- 
standing, manifested  in  carved  work  or  curious  workmanship  of  the 
box,  the  fir,  and  pine-tree,  or  anything  that  ever  was,  or  is,  or  is  to 
be,  for  the  exaltation,  glory,  honor,  and  salvation  of  the  living  and 
the  dead,  for  time  and  fur  all  eternity.  Come,  then,  walking  in  right- 
eousness before  God,  and  your  labor  shall  be  accepted ;  and  kings 
will  be  your  nursing  fathers,  and  queens  will  be  your  nursing 
mothers,  and  the  glory  of  the  whole  earth  shall  be  yours,  in  con- 
nection with  all  those  who  shall  keep  the  commandments  of  God ; 
or  else  the  Bible,  those  ancient  prophets  who  prophesied  from  gen- 
eration to  generation,  and  which  the  present  generation  profess  to 
believe,  must  fail ;  for  the  time  has  come  for  the  Saints  to  go  up  to 
the  mountains  of  the  Lord's  house,  and  help  to  establish  it  upon  the 
tops  of  the  mountains ;  and  the  name  of  the  Lord  will  be  there,  and 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  will  be  there,  and  the  excellency  of  the  Lord 
will  be  there,  and  the  honor  of  the  Lord  will  be  there,  and  the  ex- 
altation of  his  Saints  will  be  there,  and  they  will  be  held  as  in  the 


THE    GATHERING    TO    THE    NEW   ZION.  291 

hollow  of  his  hand,  and  be  hid  as  in  the  cleft  of  the  rock  when  the 
overflowing  scourge  of  Jehovah  shall  go  through  to  depopulate  the 
earth  and  lay  waste  the  nations  because  of  their  wickedness,  and 
cleanse  the  land  from  pollution  and  blood. 

"  We  are  at  peace  with  all  nations,  with  all  kingdoms,  with  all 
powers,  with  all  governments,  with  all  authorities  under  the  whole 
heavens,  except  the  kingdom  and  power  of  darkness,  which  are 
from  beneath,  and  are  ready  to  stretch  forth  our  arms  to  the  four 
quarters  of  the  globe,  extending  salvation  to  every  honest  soul  ;  for 
our  mission  in  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  from  sea  to  sea,  and 
from  the  river  to  the  ends  of  the  earth ;  and  the  blessing  of  the 
Lord  is  upon  us :  and  when  every  other  arm  shall  fail,  the  power 
of  the  Almighty  will  be  manifest  in  our  behalf;  for  we  ask  nothing 
but  what  is  right,  we  want  nothing  but  what  is  right,  and  God  has 
said  that  our  strength  shall  be  equal  to  our  day  :  and  we  invite  all 
presidents,  and  emperors,  and  kings,  and  princes,  and  nobles,  and 
governors,  and  rulers,  and  judges,  and  all  nations,  kindreds,  tongues, 
and  people  under  the  whole  heavens,  to  come  and  help  us  to  build 
a  house  to  the  name  of  the  God  of  Jacob, — a  place  of  peace,  a  city 
of  rest,  a  habitation  for  the  oppressed  of  every  clime,  even  for  those 
that  love  their  neighbor  as  they  do  themselves,  and  who  are  willing 
to  do,  God  being  our  helper  ;  and  we  will  help  every  one  that  will 
help  to  sustain  good  and  wholesome  laws  for  the  protection  of  virtue 
and  punishment  of  vice. 

"  The  kingdom  which  we  are  establishing  is  not  of  this  world, 
but  is  the  kingdom  of  the  great  God.  It  is  the  fruits  of  righteous- 
ness, of  peace,  of  salvation  to  every  soul  that  will  receive  it,  from 
Adam  down  to  his  latest  posterity.  Our  good-will  is  towards  all 
men,  and  we  desire  their  salvation  in  time  and  eternity ;  and  we 
will  do  them  good  as  far  as  God  will  give  us  the  power,  and  men 
will  permit  us  the  privilege  :  and  we  will  harm  no  man  ;  but  if  men 
will  rise  against  the  power  of  the  Almighty,  to  overthrow  his  cause, 
let  them  know  assuredly  that  they  are  running  on  the  bosses  of  Je- 
hovah's buckler,  and,  as  God  lives,  they  will  be  overthrown. 

"Come,  then,  ye  Saints;  come,  then,  ye  honorable  men  of  the 
earth ;  come,  then,  ye  wise,  ye  learned,  ye  rich,  ye  noble,  according 
to  the  riches,  and  wisdom,  and  knowledge  of  the  great  Jehovah ; 
from  all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and  kingdoms,  and  tongues,  and 


292  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

people,  and  dialects  on  the  face  of  the  whole  earth,  and  join  the 
standard  of  Emmanuel,  and  help  us  to  build  up  the  kingdom  of 
God,  and  establish  the  principles  of  truth,  life,  and  salvation,  and 
you  shall  receive  your  reward  among  the  sanctified,  when  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  cometh  to  make  up  his  jewels ;  and  no  power  on  earth 
or  in  hell  can  prevail  against  you. 

"  The  kingdom  of  God  consists  in  correct  principles  ;  and  it  mat- 
tereth  not  what  a  man's  religious  faith  is,  whether  he  be  a  Presby- 
terian, or  a  Methodist,  or  a  Baptist,  or  a  Latter-Day  Saint  or  '  Mor- 
mon,' or  a  Campbellite,  or  a  Catholic,  or  Episcopalian,  or  Mahometan, 
or  even  Pagan,  or  anything  else.  If  he  will  bow  the  knee,  and  with 
his  tongue  confess  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  and  will  support  good 
and  wholesome  laws  for  the  regulation  of  society,  we  hail  him  as  a 
brother,  and  will  stand  by  him  as  he  stands  by  us  in  these  things ; 
for  every  man's  religious  faith  is  a  matter  between  his  own  soul  and 
his  God  alone.  But  if  he  shall  deny  the  Jesus,  if  he  shall  curse  God, 
if  he  shall  indulge  in  debauchery,  and  drunkenness  and  crime,  if  he 
shall  lie,  and  swear,  and  steal,  if  he  shall  take  the  name  of  the  great 
God  in  vain,  and  commit  all  manner  of  abominations,  he  shall  have 
no  place  in  our  midst ;  for  we  have  long  sought  to  find  a  people  that 
will  work  righteousness,  that  will  distribute  justice  equally,  that  will 
acknowledge  God  in  all  their  ways,  that  will  regard  those  sacred 
laws  and  ordinances  which  are  recorded  in  that  sacred  book  called 
the  Bible,  which  we  verily  believe,  and  which  we  proclaim  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth. 

"  We  ask  no  pre-eminence,  we  want  no  pre-eminence  ;  but  where 
God  has  us,  there  we  will  stand,  and  that  is,  to  be  one  with  our 
brethren  ;  and  our  brethren  are  those  that  keep  the  commandments 
of  God,  that  do  the  will  of  our  Father  who  is  in  heaven ;  and  by 
them  we  stand,  and  with  them  we  will  dwell  in  time  and  in  eternity. 

"  Come,  then,  ye  Saints  of  Latter  Day,  and  all  ye  great  and  small, 
wise  and  foolish,  rich  and  poor,  noble  and  ignoble,  exalted  and  per- 
secuted, rulers  and  ruled  of  the  earth,  who  love  virtue  and  hate  vice, 
and  help  us  to  do  this  work  which  the  Lord  hath  required  at  our 
hands  ;  and  inasmuch  as  the  glory  of  the  latter  house  shall  exceed 
that  of  the  former,  your  reward  shall  be  an  hundred-fold,  and  your 
rest  shall  be  glorious.  Our  universal  motto  is, '  Peace  with  God, 
and  good-will  to  all  men.'  " 


THE    DESERET    STATE.  293 

For  the  first  twelvemonth  of  their  residence  in  the  Salt 
Lake  Valley,  as  has  already  been  described  by  Colonel  Kane, 
the  Mormons  had  sufficient  to  occupy  themselves  in  clearing 
their  farms,  and  in  establishing  their  relations  with  their  new 
neighbors,  the  Utah  Indians.  Their  next  care  was  to  or- 
ganize themselves,  not  only  as  a  religious  community,  but  as 
a  State  claiming  admission  into  the  American  Union.  For 
this  purpose  a  constitution  was  drawn  up  and  promulgated. 

The  preamble,  which  is  as  follows,  shows  t\e  geographical 
position  and  limits  of  the  proposed  Mormon  State  : — 

11  THE    CONSTITUTION   OF    THE    NEW   STATE    OF    DESERET. 

"  Whereas  a  large  number  of  the  Citizens  of  the  United  States, 
before  and  since  the  treaty  of  peace  with  the  Republic  of  Mexico, 
emigrated  to  and  settled  in  that  portion  of  the  territory  of  the  United 
States  lying  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  in  the  great  interior 
basin  of  Upper  California  ;  and 

';  Whereas,  by  reason  of  said  treaty,  all  civil  organization  origina- 
ting from  the  Republic  of  Mexico  became  abrogated  ;  and 

"  Whereas,  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  has  failed  to  pro- 
vide a  form  of  civil  government  for  the  territory  so  acquired,  or  any 
portion  thereof;  and 

"  Whereas  civil  government  and  laws  are  necessary  for  the  secu- 
rity, peace,  and  prosperity  of  society  ;  and 

"  Whereas,  it  is  a  fundamental  principle  in  all  the  Republican 
governments,  that  all  political  power  is  inherent  in  the  people  ;  and 
governments  instituted  for  their  protection,  security,  and  benefit, 
should  emanate  from  the  same — 

"  Therefore,  your  Committee  beg  leave  to  recommend  the  adoption 
of  the  following  constitution,  until  the  Congress  of  the  United  States 
shall  otherwise  provide  for  the  government  of  the  territory  hereinaf- 
ter named  and  described. 

"  We  the  people,  grateful  to  the  Supreme  Being  for  the  blessings 
hitherto  enjoyed,  and  feeling  our  dependence  on  Him  for  a  continu- 
ation of  those  blessings,  do  ordain  and  establish  a  free  and  independ- 
ent government,  by  the  name  of  the  State  of  Deseret ;  including  all 
the  territory  of  the  United  States  within  the  following  boundaries,  to 


294  HISTORY    OF    THE    MOKMONS. 

wit : — commencing  at  the  33d  degree  of  north  latitude,  where  it 
crosses  the  108th  degree  of  longitude,  west  of  Greenwich  ;  thence 
running  south  and  west  to  the  northern  boundary  of  Mexico ;  thence 
west  to,  and  down  the  main  channel  of  the  Gila  River,  on  the  north- 
ern line  of  Mexico,  and  on  the  northern  boundary  of  Lower  California 
to  the  Pacific  Ocean  ;  thence  along  the  coast  north-westerly  to  118 
degrees  30  minutes  of  west  longitude  ;  thence  north  to  where  said 
line  intersects  the  dividing  ridge  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains ; 
thence  north  along  the  summit  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains  to 
the  dividing  range  of  mountains  that  separates  the  waters  flowing 
into  the  Columbia  River — from  the  wTaters  running  into  the  Great 
Basin  ;  thence  easterly,  along  the  dividing  range  of  mountains  that 
separates  said  waters  flowing  into  the  Columbia  River  on  the  north 
from  the  waters  flowing  into  the  Great  Basin  on  the  south,  to  the 
summit  of  the  Wind  River  chain  of  mountains ;  thence  south-east 
and  south,  by  the  dividing  range  of  mountains  that  separate  the 
waters  flowing  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  from  the  waters  flowing  into 
the  Gulf  of  California  ;  to  the  place  of  beginning,  as  set  forth  in  a 
map  drawn  by  Charles  Preuss.  and  published  by  order  of  the  Senate 
of  the  United  States,  in  1848,"  &c. 

It  appears,  however,  that  the  general  Government  of  the 
United  States  has  not  seen  fit  to  accord  to  the  Mormons  the 
exact  boundaries  which  they  desire — that  it  ignores  the  name 
of  Deseret,  and  prefers  that  of  Utah — and  is  anxious  to  de- 
prive the  Mormons  of  the  coast  line  claimed  in  this  document, 
and  to  shut  them  up  in  the  table-land  among  the  mountains. 
Accordingly,  in  the  first  section  of  the  bill  passed  by  Congress 
we  find  it  enacted  that  the  new  territory  is  "  bounded  on  the 
•west  by  the  State  of  California  ;  on  the  north  by  the  territory 
of  Oregon  ;  and  on  the  east  and  south  by  the  dividing  ridge 
which  separates  the  waters  flowing  into  the  Great  Basin  from 
those  flowing  into  the  Colorado  River  and  the  Gulf  of  Cali- 
fornia." 

By  the  same  bill,  a  territorial  government  for  Utah  was 
appointed;  and  in  October,  1850,  the  President  of  the  United 


THE    GREAT    SALT    LAKE.  295 

States,  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate,  nominated 
Mr.  Brigham  Young  to  be  its  Governor,  and  six  other  persons 
to  the  subordinate  offices  of  Secretary,  Chief  Justice,  Associate 
Justice,  Attorney-General,  and  Stales-Marshal.  Out  of  these 
seven,  four  are  members  of  the  Mormon  Church. 

"  The  spot  on  which  the  Mormons  are  now  settled,"  says 
the  Cincinnati  Atlas,  "  is,  geographically,  one  of  the  most 
interesting  in  the  Western  World.  There  is  no  other  just 
like  it,  that  we  recollect,  on  the  globe.  Look  at  the  map  a 
little  east  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  and  just  south  of  the  South- 
west Pass,  and  you  will  see  in  the  north-east  corner  of  Cali- 
fornia the  summit  level  of  the  waters  which  flow  on  the  North 
American  continent.  It  must  be  four  thousand  feet,  perhaps 
more,  above  the  level  of  the  Atlantic.  In  this  sequestered 
corner,  in  a  vale  hidden  among  mountains  and  lakes,  are  the 
Mormons  ;  and  there  rise  the  mighty  rivers,  than  which  no 
continent  has  greater.  Within  a  stone's  throw  almost  of  one 
another  lie  the  head  springs  of  the  Sweetwater  and  Green 
Rivers.  The  former  flows  into  the  Platte  River  ;  that  into 
the  Missouri,  and  that  into  the  Mississippi,  and  that  into  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  becomes  a  part  of  the  Gulf  Stream,  lav- 
ing the  shores  of  distant  lands.  The  latter,  the  Green  River, 
flows  into  the  Colorado,  the  Colorado  into  the  Gulf  of  Cali- 
fornia, and  is  mingled  with  the  Pacific.  The  one  flows  more 
than  two  thousand  five  hundred  miles,  the  other  more  than 
one  thousand  five  hundred.  These  flow  into  tropical  regions. 
Just  north  of  the  same  spot  are  the  head  streams  of  Snake 
River*,  which  flows  into  the  Columbia,  near  latitude  46 D, 
after  a  course  of  one  thousand  miles.  Just  south  are  the 
sources  of  the  Rio  Grande,  which,  after  winding  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  miles,  finds  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  It  is  a  re- 
markable point  in  the  earth's  surface  where  the  Mormons 
are ;  and,  locked  in  by  mountains  and  lakes,  they  will  proba- 
bly remain,  and  constitute  a  new  and  peculiar  colony." 


296  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

After  having  drawn  up  a  constitution,  declaring  Deseret  a 
free  and  not  a  slave  State,  and  trusting  to  the  chances  of  pol- 
itics and  political  parties  to  fix  their  exact  boundaries,  the 
next  thing  to  be  accomplished  by  their  leaders  was  to  gather 
their  people  together.  Before  a  "  territory"  under  the  pro- 
tection of  the  United  States  Government  can  claim  admis- 
sion into  the  Union  as  a  State,  its  population  must  amount  to 
sixty  thousand  ;  and  to  bring  their  number  to  this  point  has 
been  the  great  work  in  which  the  Mormon  leaders  have  been 
incessantly  occupied  since  1848. 

Several  emissaries  or  '"Apostles"  of  the  sect  were  despatch- 
ed to  Europe  at  the  commencement  of  1850,  to  "gather"  the 
European  Saints  to  the  New  Zion.  Not  the  least  remarkable 
circumstances  in  Mormon  history  are  the  faith  and  zeal  of 
their  missionaries.  They  start  without  money,  or,  as  they 
express  it,  "  without  purse  and  scrip,"  and  trust  to  Providence 
for  their  subsistence,  feeling  assured  that  "  He  who  provideth 
for  the  sparrows  will  provide  for  them."  Some  have  proceed- 
ed to  Germany,  to  Italy,  to  France,  to  Norway,  and  to  Russia, 
in  total  ignorance  of  the  languages  of  those  countries,  but 
trusting  to  pick  up  by  the  way  sufficient  knowledge  to  answer 
their  purpose.  Little  success,  however,  has  attended  them  upon 
the  Continent.  The  strongholds  of  the  sect  are  in  England, 
Wales,  and  Scotland  ;  fully  thirty  thousand  people  in  Great 
Britain  are  members  of  their  Church,  and  there  is  not  a  con- 
siderable town  in  which  they  have  not  a  congregation. 

At  the  Mormon  Conferences  held  throughout  the  British 
Isles,  in  June,  1850,  the  number  of  Mormons  in  England  and 
Scotland  was  reported  at  27,863, — of  whom  there  were  in 
London,  2,529  ;  in  Manchester,  2,787  ;  in  Liverpool,  1,018  ;  in 
Glasgow,  1,846;  in  Sheffield,  1,929;  in  Edinburgh,  1,331  ;  in 
Birmingham,  1,909  ;  and  in  Wales,  4,342.  The  report  of 
June,  1851,  showed   a  still  further  increase;    and  detailed 


MORMONISM   IN    GREAT    BRITAIN.  297 

some  particulars  of  the  growth  of  the  sect,  which  we  present 
in  the  words  of  that  document : 

"  In  1837,  one  year  before  the  Saints  reached  Nauvoo, 
Elders  K.  C.  Kimball  and  Orson  Hyde,  together  with  several 
others,  landed  at  Liverpool,  friendless  and  destitute.  They 
separated,  and  went  forth  preaching  into  the  towns  on  either 
side.  Preston  first  heard  and  obeyed  the  principles  of  truth. 
In  eight  months,  seven  hundred  members  met  in  conference 
in  that  town,  rejoicing  in  the  power  and  privilege  of  the  Gos- 
pel. In  a  very  short  time,  several  counties,  among  which 
were  Yorkshire,  Cheshire,  Lancashire,  Stafford,  Gloucester, 
Worcester,  and  Hereford,  had  heard  and  received  the  ser- 
vants of  God.  Thus  the  Church  increased  ;  so  that,  in  1840, 
after  three  years'  labor,  the  general  conference  reported  3,626 
members,  and  383  in  the  priesthood,  making  in  all  4,019 
Saints.  But  such  triumphant  success  was  not  confined  to 
England.  Scotland  enjoyed  a  portion;  and  Ireland  was  also 
made  to  rejoice  ;  and  Wales  testified  by  her  thousands  how 
the  Church  had  progressed  in  that  province.  In  Scotland, 
the  blood-cemented  pyramid  of  bigotry  and  superstition  had 
been  triumphantly  attacked,  although  sustained  by  the  pro- 
verbial wariness  of  the  Scotch.  The  Conference  established  in 
Edinburgh,  notwithstanding  that  hundreds  had  removed  and 
hundreds  more  emigrated,  still  represented  more  than  1,500 
members.  Glasgow  was  also  proclaimed,  and  over  2,063 
members  were  now  revelling  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  spirit 
of  truth.  In  1851,  more  than  3,530  had  obeyed  the  man- 
dates of  Heaven,  and  thousands  had  besides  emigrated  to  the 
gathering  place  of  the  Saints.  As  to  Ireland,  it  was  not  un- 
til 1850  that  Dublin  had  heard  the  principles  of  truth  ;  he 
was,  however,  glad  to  say  that  a  small  branch  had  been  es- 
tablished in  that  city.  In  Wales,  their  success  was  still  more 
great  and  glorious.  In  1851,  the  number  of  Saints  in  the 
principality  was  4,848,  including  officers.     The  statistics  of 


298  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

January  last  showed  there  were,  altogether,  in  the  United 
Kingdom,  42  conferences,  602  hranches,  22  seventies,  12  high 
priests,  1,761  elders,  1,590  priests,  1,226  teachers,  682  dea- 
cons, and  25,454  members,  making  a  total  of  30,747  Saints. 
During  the  last  fourteen  years,  more  than  50,000  had  been 
baptized  in  England,  of  which  nearly  17,000  had  emigrated 
from  her  shores  to  Zion." 

We  gather  from  other  sources  that  for  the  two  years  prior 
to  the  death  of  Joseph  Smith,  thirteen  vessels,  wholly  engaged 
by  the  Mormons  for  the  emigration  of  their  people,  quitted 
Liverpool  for  New  Orleans, — the  largest  number  proceeding 
by  one  vessel  being  three  hundred  and  fourteen,  and  the 
smallest  sixty.  During  the  year  1850,  the  Mormon  emigra- 
tion amounted  to  nearly  two  thousand  five  hundred.  Being 
desirous  to  know  something  of  the  class  of  persons  who  emi- 
grate under  Mormon  auspices  to  establish  themselves  in  the 
Salt  Lake  City,  and  to  ascertain  from  what  parts  of  the  coun- 
try their  ranks  were  principally  recruited,  the  writer  made 
inquiries  at  the  office  in  Liverpool  of  Messrs.  Pilkington  and 
Wilson,  the  shipping-agents  for  the  New  Orleans  packets. 
The  principal  manager  of  this  branch  of  their  business,  who 
is  thus  thrown  into  frequent  intercourse  with  the  Mormons, 
furnished  the  following  statement : — 

"  With  regard  to  '  Mormon'  Emigration,  and  the  class  of 
persons  of  which  it  is  composed,  they  are  principally  farmers 
and  mechanics,  with  some  few  clerks,  surgeons,  &c.  They 
are  generally  intelligent  and  well-behaved,  and  many  of  them 
are  highly  respectable.  Since  the  1st  of  October — when,  ac- 
cording to  the  new  act,  a  note  of  the  trades,  professions,  and 
avocations  of  emigrants,  was  first  required  to  be  taken  by  the 
emigration  officer — until  March  in  the  present  year,  the  fol- 
lowing seems  to  be  the  numbers  of  each  who  have  gone  out 
in  our  ships,  as  far  as  I  can  ascertain.  I  find  in  our  books 
the  names  of  sixteen  miners,  twenty  engineers,  nineteen  farm- 


MORMON    EMIGRATION.  299 

ere,  one  hundred  and  eight  laborers,  ten  joiners,  twenty-five 
power-loom  weavers,  fifteen  shoemakers,  twelve  smiths,  nine- 
teen tailors,  eight  watchmakers,  twenty-five  stonemasons,  five 
butchers,  four  bakers,  four  potters,  ten  painters,  seven  ship- 
wrights, four  iron-moulders,  three  basket-makers,  five  dyers, 
five  ropers,  four  paper-makers,  four  glass-cutters,  five  nailors, 
five  saddlers,  six  sawyers,  four  gun-rnakers,  &c.  These  emi- 
grants generally  take  with  them  the  implements  necessary  to 
pursue  their  occupation  in  the  Salt  Lake  Valley  ;  and  it  is  no 
unusual  thing  to  perceive  (previous  to  the  ship  leaving  the 
dock)  a  watchmaker  with  his  tools  spread  out  upon  his  box, 
busy  examining  and  repairing  the  watches  of  the  '  brethren,'  or 
a  cutler  displaying  to  his  fellow-passengers  samples  of  his 
handicraft  which  he  is  bringing  out  with  him.  Of  course 
the  stock  thus  taken  out  is  small,  when  placed  in  the  scale 
with  the  speculations  of  commercial  men  ;  but,  judging  from 
the  enormous  quantity  of  boxes  generally  taken  by  these  peo- 
ple, in  the  aggregate  it  is  large  indeed.  Many  of  these  fam- 
ilies have  four,  five,  or  six  boxes,  bound  and  hooped  with  iron, 
marked,  '  Not  wanted  on  the  passage,'  and  which  are  stowed 
down  in  the  ship's  hold  ;  these  all  contain  implements  of  hus- 
bandry or  trade.  I  have  seen,  with  Mormons  on  board  ship, 
a  piano  placed  before  one  berth,  and  opposite  the  very  next,  a 
travelling  cutler's  machine  for  grinding  knives,  &c.  Indeed 
it  is  a  general  complaint  with  captains,  that  the  quantity  of 
luggage  put  on  board  with  Mormons  quite  takes  them  by  sur- 
prise and  often  sinks  the  ship  upwards  of  an  inch  deeper  in 
the  water  than  they  would  have  otherwise  allowed  her  to  go. 
Their  provisions  are  always  supplied  by  their  agent  here,  of 
the  very  best  description,  and  more  than  ample  ;  for  while  the 
law  requires  that  a  certain  quantity  shall  be  put  on  board  for 
each  passenger,  the  Mormon  superior  puts,  in  all  cases,  twenty 
pounds  per  head  above  this  quantity,  and,  in  addition,  a  sup- 
ply of  butter  and  cheese.     Everything  is  good.     The  bread 


300  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

always  is  good,  frequently  better  than  that  used  by  the  shi 
The  surplus  provisions  are  given  to  the  passengers  on  then 
arrival  at  New  Orleans,  and  distributed  by  their  superiors  to 
each  family  in  proportion  to  its  numbers.  As  to  the  localities 
from  which  they  come,  the  majority  are  from  the  manufac- 
turing districts — Birmingham,  Sheffield,  the  Potteries,  &c. 
Scotland  and  Wales  have  also  despatched  a  large  quantity. 
When  the  Scotch  or  Welsh  determine  on  going,  it  is  gen- 
erally in  large  companies.  It  may  perhaps  be  worthy  of  re- 
mark, that  no  Irish  '  Saints'  have  yet  made  their  appearance. 
The  Mormons  have  the  greatest  objections  against  going  in 
any  ship  carrying  other  passengers  than  themselves  ;  and 
when  such  is  the  case,  they  invariably  stipulate  that  a  parti- 
tion shall  be  erected  across  the  ship's  lower  decks,  so  as  to  sepa- 
rate them  from  all  other  passengers. 

"  The  means  taken  by  this  people  for  the  preservation  of 
order  and  cleanliness  on  board  are  admirable,  and  worthy  of 
imitation.  Their  first  act,  on  arrival  here,  is  to  hold  a  gen- 
eral meeting,  at  which  they  appoint  a  '  president  of  the  com- 
pany,' and  '  six  committee-men.'  The  president  exercises  a 
complete  superintendence  over  everything  connected  with  the 
passengers  ;  he  allots  the  berths,  settles  disputes,  attends  to 
all  wants,  complaints  or  inquiries,  whether  for  or  by  the  pas- 
sengers ;  advises  each  how  to  proceed  the  most  economically, 
whether  in  purchasing  provisions,  bedding,  or  other  articles  ; 
and  he  being  in  constant  communication  with  the  superiors 
here,  the  people  are  thus  safely  guarded  from  the  hands  of 
'  Man-catchers'  and  all  others  of  the  many  who  frequent  our 
quays,  and  whose  profession  it  is  to  entrap  and  prey  upon  the 
unwary  stranger.  The  duty  of  the  committee-men  is  to  as- 
sist in  getting  the  luggage  on  board,  and  to  make  a  proper  ar- 
rangement in  the  ship,  &c.  They  also  stand  sentinel  alter- 
nately at  the  hatchway  day  and  night,  during  the  period  the 
ship  remains  in  dock,  to  prevent  the  intrusion  of  strangers. 


REGULATIONS    ON    SHIPBOARD.  301 

To  show  how  effectually  this  is  done,  I  may  just  mention  that 
while  in  every  ship  taking  the  general  class  of  emigrants,  per- 
sons are  found  concealed  on  hoard,  or  '  stow-aways,'  in  no  in~ 
stance  has  such  been  the  case  in  a  ship  wholly  laden  with 
Mormons.  To  those  acquainted  with  the  slovenly  and  dirty 
arrangements  of  emigrants  on  shipboard,  those  of  the  Mor- 
mons, for  the  preservation  of  decency  and  morality,  will  ap- 
pear deserving  of  the  highest  commendation.  Each  berth,  or 
at  least  a  great  majority  of  the  berths,  has  its  little  curtain 
spread  before  it,  so  as  to  prevent  the  inmates  from  being  seen, 
and  also  to  enable  them  to  dress  and  undress  behind  it.  In 
allotting  the  berths,  the  members  of  each  family  are  placed 
in  the  berths  next  each  other  ;  and  in  case  the  passengers  are 
from  different  parts — say  from  England  and  Scotland — the 
Scotch  are  berthed  o.n  one  side  of  the  ship,  the  English  on  the 
other.  The  duties  of  the  president  and  committee  do  not 
cease  after  the  ship  leaves  dock,  but  are  continued  during  the 
whole  voyage.  The  president  still  exercises  his  superinten- 
dence over  the  general  conduct  of  the  passengers,  the  delivery 
of  provisions,  water,  &c.  The  committee  act  at  sea  as  police. 
Three  of  them  take  each  side  of  the  between  decks,  and  see 
that  every  person  is  in  bed  by  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
and  in  the  morning  that  every  passenger  is  up,  the  beds  made, 
and  the  rubbish  swept  together,  hauled  up  in  buckets,  and 
thrown  overboard  before  seven  o'clock.  It  is  remarkable  the 
implicit  obedience  which  is  paid  by  the  passengers  to  those 
whom  they  thus  elect  over  them ;  their  slightest  word  is  law, 
always  respected,  and  cheerfully  obeyed  ;  in  their  social  in- 
tercourse they  address  each  other  as  '  brother'  and  '  sister  ;' 
and  with  regard  to  their  care  of  the  things  entrusted  to  their 
charge,  I  have  been  told  by  an  American  captain  who  car- 
ried them,  that  having  delivered  to  their  committee  a  quan- 
tity of  water  which  he  had  told  them  was  to  serve  for  three 
days,  he  found  at  the  end  of  the  third  day  a  fourth  day's  sup- 


302  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

ply  left  :  whereas  had  he  given  it  into  the  charge  of  one  of  his 
sailors  for  distribution,  it  would  not  have  lasted  the  three 
days.  From  my  knowledge  of  the  emigration  at  present 
going  on  from  Liverpool,  I  can  truly  say  that  it  would,  indeed, 
be  not  only  conducive  to  the  comfort  and  health,  but  would 
absolutely  save  the  lives  of  many  who  now  die  on  shipboard, 
could  the  same  rules  for  cleanliness,  order,  &c,  be  introduced 
amongst  the  general  class  of  emigrants  who  leave  this  port  for 
America." 

The  following  particulars  respecting  the  route  of  the  emi- 
grants after  their  arrival  at  New  Orleans  will  conclude  this  part 
of  the  subject.  After  remaining  a  few  days  in  New  Orleans, 
the  emigrants  start  in  companies,  sometimes  of  two  or  three 
hundred  or  more,  to  St.  Louis,  by  steamboat  on  the  Mississippi. 
The  distance  is  1,300  miles.  The  next  stage,  also  by  steam- 
boat, is  a  distance  of  800  miles  from  St.  Louis,  to  the  settle- 
ments of  Council  Bluffs,  already  mentioned.  Here  they  either 
remain  to  fatten  their  young  cattle  on  the  prairies,  or  squat 
upon  the  rich  lands  till  they  are  ready  to  go  forward  to  the 
Great  Salt  Lake  City.  The  distance  from  Council  Bluffs  to 
their  final  destination  is  1,030  miles.  The  emigrants  travel 
in  ox-teams,  and  their  large  caravans  present  a  singular  spec- 
tacle. These  wagons  are  sometimes  drawn  by  as  many  as 
six  or  eight  oxen,  and  there  are  frequently  six  hundred  wagons 
in  the  procession.  Each  is  so  arranged  as  to  comprise  a  bed- 
room and  sitting-room.  They  dine  on  the  road-side,  giving 
their  cattle,  in  the  meantime,  an  hour's  grazing  in  the  prai- 
ries. They  take  three  months  to  complete  the  journey  from 
New  Orleans  to  the  Salt  Lake  City,  and  being  supplied  with 
necessary  provisions  purchased  at  St.  Louis,  they  trust  for 
their  luxuries  to  the  occasional  proceeds  of  the  chase,  in 
pursuing  which  the  male  emigrants  amuse  themselves  on 
the  way.      They  trade   with    the  Indians  as  they  go,   ex- 


EMIGRATION    FUND.  303 

changing  fire-arms  and  ammunition  for  buffalo  robes  and  pel- 
tries.* 

The  Mormons  established  a  perpetual  emigration  fund  in 
1849,  the  nature  and  objects  of  which  were  stated  in  an 
epistle  from  Brigham  Young  to  Mr.  Orson  Pratt,  at  that 
time  their  emigration  agent  in  Liverpool 

"  Great  Salt  Lake  City,  Oct.  14,  1849. 
"  Dear  Brother, — You  will  learn  from  our  General  Epistle  the 
principal  events  occurring  with  us,  but  we  have  thought  proper  to 
write  you,  more  particularly  in  relation  to  some  matters  of  general 
interest,  in  an  especial. manner,  the  perpetual  emigration  fund  for  the 
poor  Saints.  This  fund,  we  wish  all  to  understand,  is  perpetual,  and 
in  order  to  be  kept  good,  will  need  constant  accessions.  To  further 
this  end,  we  expect  all  who  are  benefited  by  its  operations  will  be 
willing  to  reimburse  that  amount  as  soon  as  they  are  able,  facilities 
for  which  will  very  soon  after  their  arrival  here  present  themselves 
in  the  shape  of  public  works ;  donations  will  also  continue  to  be 
taken  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  expended  for  the  gathering  of 
the  poor  Saints.  This  is  no  Joint  Stock  Company  arrangement,  but 
free  donations.  Your  office  in  Liverpool  is  the  place  of  deposit  for 
all  funds  received,  either  for  this  or  the  tithing  funds,  for  all  Europe, 
and  you  will  not  pay  out,  only  upon  our  order,  and  to  such  persons 
as  we  shall  direct.  We  wish  to  have  machinery  of  all  kinds  intro- 
duced in  these  valleys  as  soon  as  practicable.  If  you  commence 
operations  now,  before  you  can  get  men  to  engage  in  the  business,  the 
material  for  cotton  and  woollen  factories  will  be  produced.  Our 
settlements  another  season  will  extend  over  the  rim  of  the  basin, 
where  we  can  raise  the  cotton,  the  sugar  cane,  rice,  &c.  Therefore, 
if  you  can  find  those  who  will  engage  in  manufacturing  cloth  for 
this  market  in  the  Valley,  we  want  you  should  let  these  cotton  fac- 
tory proprietors,  operatives,  and  all,  with  all  the  necessary  fixtures, 
come  to  this  place.  We  have  a  carrying  company  started,  who  will 
accommodate  all  emigrants  to  this  place  with  passage  and  freight 

*  We  learn,  as  these  sheets  are  passing  through  the  press,  that  the 
Mormon  emigration  will  for  the  future  be  conducted  across  the  Isth- 
mus of  Panama,  or  round  by  Cape  Horn. 


304  HISTORY   OF   THE    MORMONS. 

from  Missouri  River ;  they  need  not  be  obliged  under  this  arrange- 
ment to  buy  oxen  and  wagons  when  they  arrive  there,  and  can  be 
immediately  transported  through  the  entire  route.  We  have  con- 
sidered it  policy  for  us  to  collect  tithing  in  money,  instead  of  labor, 
as  heretofore,  therefore  we  employ  constant  hands  upon  our  public 
works,  and  pay  them  the  money,  or  such  things  as  they  need  for 
themselves  and  families.  We,  therefore,  have  appointed  Joseph  L. 
Heyvvood  and  Edwin  D.  Woolley,  our  agents,  to  go  east  and  pur- 
chase such  things  as  we  need  to  supply  our  public  works  with,  such 
as  are  necessary,  such  as  glass,  nails,  paint,  &c,  and  furnish  work- 
men ;  these  agents  will  probably  call  upon  you  from  Boston  for 
funds — if  they  should,  you  will  send  them  accordingly.  It  is  dis- 
tinctly understood  that  these  arrangements  are  entirely  disconnected 
with  the  Perpetual  Emigrating  Fund  ;  that  is  sacred  to  its  proper 
use  in  gathering  the  poor  Saints.  Our  true  policy  is,  to  do  our  own 
work,  make  our  own  goods  as  soon  as  possible ;  therefore,  do  all 
you  can  to  further  the  emigration  of  artisans  and  mechanics  of  all 
kinds  ;  also  continue  to  collect  tithing. 

"  Our  beloved  Brother  Franklin  D.  Richards,  who  is  appointed  to 
go  on  a  mission  to  England,  will  co-operate  with  you,  and  give  you 
more  particular  items,  policy,  &c. 

"  With  sentiments  of  the  highest  esteem,  love,  and  kindness,  we 
remain  your  brethren  in  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant. 

"  Brigham  Young. 

"  P.S.  We  want  a  company  of  woollen  manufacturers  to  come 
with  machinery,  and  take  our  wool  from  the  sheep,  and  convert  it 
into  the  best  of  clothes — and  the  wool  is  ready.  We  want  a  com- 
pany of  cotton  manufacturers,  who  will  convert  cotton  into  cloth  and 
calico,  &c,  and  we  will  raise  the  cotton  before  the  machinery  can 
be  ready.  We  want  a  company  of  potters.  We  need  them.  The 
clay  is  ready,  and  dishes  wanted.  Send  a  company  of  each,  if  pos- 
sible, next  spring.  Silk  manufacturers  and  all  others  will  follow  in 
rapid  succession.  We  want  some  men  to  start  a  furnace  forthwith  ; 
the  coal,  iron  and  moulders  are  waiting.  B.  Y." 

It  will  be  seen,  from  the  foregoing  statements,  that  the 
Mormons  have  made  a  great  movement  in  advance  since  the 


MORMON    PROSPERITY.  305 

death  of  Joseph  Smith.  California  has  been  their  golden 
land,  and  the  source  of  their  present  prosperity  and  hope  in 
the  future. 

"  When  the  Saints  were  about  leaving  Nauvoo,"  says  an 
epistle  in  the  Millennial  Star,  "  Heber  C.  Kimball  prophe- 
sied that  in  five  years  they  would  be  better  off  than  at  this 
time.  Little  more  than  three  years  have  elapsed  when  we 
behold  the  poor  exiled  Mormons  in  flourishing  circumstances, 
counting  among  their  riches  a  thousand  hills  and  valleys, 
situate  in  the  most  remarkable,  interesting,  and  auspicious 
portion  of  the  globe  ;  having  the  fountains  of  rivers  that  must 
speedily  command  the  commerce  of  the  world,  in  the  midst 
of  their  territories.  Thus  the  banishment  of  the  Church  has 
become  her  freedom,  the  greatest  boon  her  opponents  could 
confer,  and  the  glad  signal  for  her  to  arise  and  shine.  Forci- 
bly ejected  from  the  mother  country  on  her  arrival  at  the  age 
of  puberty,  and  thrown  back  upon  her  own  unaided  resources, 
the  development  of  her  wonderful  constitution,  capabilities, 
and  organization,  strike  the  whole  world  with  astonishment 
and  admiration  ;  they  who  have  plundered,  robbed,  and 
driven  her  into  the  wilderness,  and  thought  she  was  dead, 
now  turn  their  eyes,  and  discover  to  their  great  surprise  that 
she  lives,  and  nobly  aspires  to  power,  honor,  might,  majesty, 
glory,  and  dominion.  She  has  triumphed  over  every  form  of 
persecution  and  every  species  of  cruelty.  Under  circumstan- 
ces the  most  extraordinary  and  discouraging,  she  has  proved 
herself  not  a  whit  behind  the  very  first  and  foremost  in  all 
the  characteristics  necessary  to  constitute  a  great  people.  She 
has  earned  a  title  to  a  fair  name  and  place  amongst  the  na- 
tions. Yes,  Zion  is  firmly  established  in  the  strongholds  of 
the  land.  Riches  unknown  are  at  her  disposal.  And  it  is  to 
be  hoped  that  her  oppressors  will  rejoice  over  her  no  more  ; 
and  that  no  weapon  formed  against  her  shall  prosper.  Every 
one  is  aware  of  the  impracticability  of  subduing  a  brave  peo- 

20 


306  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

pie,  entrenched  in  the  fastnesses  of  the  mountains.  A  nation 
of  mountaineers  is  not  easily  subjected.  Even  our  enemies 
begin  to  acknowledge  the  manifest  natural  advantages  and 
rising  importance  of  the  peculiar  locality  of  the  city  '  sought 
out,'  and  are  not  backward  in  foretelling  the  proud  and  en- 
viable station  we  must  shortly  occupy.  They  look  to  her  for 
support,  and  think  of  calculating  on  her  assistance,  whom 
they  have  driven  to  the  last  extremity. 

"  All  things  work  together  for  good.  When  an  iron  high- 
way shall  be  cast  up  in  the  desert,  not  only  will  the  flight  of 
the  righteous  be  greatly  facilitated,  but  the  kings,  nobles,  and 
rulers  of  the  earth,  with  the  great  men,  will  flock  to  the  city 
of  refuge,  painfully  aware  that  in  Zion  alone  will  be  found 
peace  and  safety.  The  signs  of  the  times  augur  an  unparal- 
leled growth  for  the  city  in  the  midst  of  the  everlasting  hills." 

The  following  additional  particulars,  with  reference  to  the 
Great  Salt  Lake  City,  are  of  interest : — 

"  The  Nauvoo  Legion,"  says  a  general  epistle  to  the  Saints, 
signed  by  Brigham  Young,  and  dated  on  the  12th  of  October 
last,  "  has  been  re-organized  in  the  Yalley,  and  it  would  have 
been  a  source  of  joy  to  the  Saints  throughout  the  earth,  could 
they  have  witnessed  its  movements  on  the  day  of  its  great 
parade  ;  to  see  a  whole  army  of  mighty  men  in  martial  array, 
ground  their  arms,  not  by  command,  but  simply  by  request, 
repair  to  the  temple  block,  and  with  pick  and  spade  open  the 
foundation  for  a  place  of  worship,  and  erect  the  pilasters, 
beams,  and  roof,  so  that  we  now  have  a  commodious  edifice, 
one  hundred  feet  by  sixty,  with  brick  walls,  where  we  assem- 
ble with  the  saints  from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath,  and  almost 
every  evening  in  the  week,  to  teach,  counsel,  and  devise  ways 
and  means  for  the  prosperity  of  the  kingdom  of  God  ;  and  we 
feel  thankful  that  we  have  a  better  house  or  bowery  for  pub- 
lic worship  the  coming  winter,  than  we  have  heretofore  had 
any  winter  in  this  dispensation. 


PROGRESS    OF    DESERET.  307 

"  Thousands  of  emigrants  from  the  States  to  the  gold  mines 
have  passed  through  our  city  this  season,  leaving  large  quan- 
tities of  domestic  clothing,  wagons,  &c,  in  exchange  for 
horses  and  mules,  which  exchange  has  been  a  mutual  bless- 
ing to  both  parties. 

:'  The  direct  emigration  of  the  Saints  to  this  place  will  be 
some  five  or  six  hundred  wagons  this  season  ;  besides,  many 
who  came  in  search  of  gold,  have  heard  the  Gospel  for  the 
first  time,  and  will  go  no  further,  having  believed  and  been 
baptized. 

"  On  the  28th  of  September,  fourteen  or  fifteen  of  the 
brethren  arrived  from  the  gold  country,  some  of  whom  were 
very  comfortably  supplied  with  the  precious  metal,  and 
others,  who  had  been  sick,  came  as  destitute  as  they  went  on 
the  ship  Brooklyn  in  1846.  That  there  is  plenty  of  gold  in 
Western  California  is  beyond  doubt,  but  the  valley  of  the 
Sacramento  is  an  unhealthy  place,  and  the  Saints  can  be 
better  employed  in  raising  grain,  and  building  houses  in  this 
vicinity,  than  digging  for  gold  in  the  Sacramento,  unless  they 
are  counselled  so  to  do. 

"  The  grain  crops  in  the  valley  have  been  good  this  season  ; 
wheat,  barley,  oats,  rye,  and  peas,  more  particularly.  The 
late  corn  and  buckwheat,  and  some  lesser  grains  and  vegeta- 
bles, have  been  materially  injured  by  the  recent  frosts  ;  and 
some  early  corn  in  Brownsville,  forty  miles  north,  a  month 
since  ;  and  the  buckwheat  was  severely  damaged  by  hail  at 
the  Utah  settlement,  sixty  miles  south,  about  three  weeks 
since  ;  but  we  have  great  occasion  for  thanksgiving  to  Him 
who  giveth  the  increase,  that  he  has  blest  our  labors,  so  that 
with  prudence  we  shall  have  a  comfortable  supply  for  our- 
selves, and  our  brethren  on  the  way,  who  may  be  in  need, 
until  another  harvest ;  but  we  feel  the  need  of  more  labor- 
ers, for  more  efficient  help,  and  multiplied  means  of  farming 
and  building  at  this  place.     We  want  men.     Brethren,  come 


308  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

from  the  States,  from  the  nations,  come  !  and  help  us  to 
build  and  grow,  until  we  can  say,  '  Enough — -the  valleys  of 
Ephraim  are  full.' " 

The  following  letter  from  a  Mormon  to  his  father  in  Eng- 
land, gives  some  additional  particulars  of  the  city,  and  the 
journey  overland  from  New  York  : — ■ 

"  City  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  Rocky  Mountains,  Oct.  1849. 
"  My  dear  Father, — I  scarcely  know  how  to  commence  the 
chequered  history  of  my  journey  from  New  York,  but  will  endeavor 
to  give  you  a  very  abbreviated  account,  reserving  my  journal  until 
we  again  meet,  which  happiness  will,  I  trust,  yet  be  permitted  to  us. 
We  started  twenty-four  in  number,  on  10th  of  March,  armed  and 
equipped  for  a  long  and  toilsome  journey.  During  the  first  part, 
having  the  advantage  of  hotels,  we  were  very  merry,  and  enjoyed 
ourselves  amazingly ;  but  this  was  not  to  last  long,  as  we  had  yet 
to  experience  the  toils  of  a  camp  life.  We  travelled  some  1,000 
miles  upon  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  rivers,  in  American  steamers,  a 
mode  of  transit  I  am  by  no  means  partial  to,  as  I  was  in  a  fever  of 
apprehension  the  whole  time,  the  accidents  on  these  rivers  being  in- 
numerable. They  arise  from  '  snags'  (pieces  of  timber  sticking  up 
in  the  muddy  waters),  from  fire,  collision,  and  bursting  of  the  thin 
boilers,  which  are  placed  under  the  saloon.  This  part  of  our  travel 
was,  however,  accomplished,  with  only  the  loss  of  a  few  goods ; 
and  in  the  early  part  of  May  our  mules  were  purchased,  and  we 
were  ready  for  a  start  across  the  prairie.  Our  party  had  four 
wagons,  each  drawn  by  eight  mules  ;  and,  in  addition,  we  rode  upon 
these  combinations  of  all  that  is  stupid,  spiteful,  and  obstinate. 
For  some  little  time  I  enjoyed  the  change — the  novelty  of  this  pred- 
atory mode  of  life.  At  day-break  we  left  our  tents,  were  soon 
busy  around  the  camp-fire,  preparing  breakfast.  Our  stores  did  not 
admit  of  much  variety  ;  coffee,  bacon,  and  hard  biscuit,  forming  the 
staple  of  our  provisions.  The  weather  soon  became  oppressively 
hot,  the  thermometer  rising  to  100°  and  110°.  This  was  rendered 
very  trying  by  the  entire  absence  of  shade  upon  this  ocean  of  land ; 
indeed,  these  vast  plains  closely  resemble  in  atmospheric  phenomena 
and  in  the  appearance  of  the  ground,  the  dry  bed  of  some  mighty 


LETTER    FROM    A    MORMON    EMIGRANT.  309 

sea.  The  heat,  with  the  quality  of  our  food,  soon  produced  bilious 
fever,  and  before  our  journey  thus  far  was  accomplished,  half 
our  number  had  suffered  from  this  complaint.  We  were  much 
mistaken  in  believing  the  route  a  healthy  one,  the  road  being  marked 
with  the  graves  of  victims  to  the  California  fever.  Turning  over 
the  leaves  of  my  journal,  I  find  the  following  account  of  a  night  in 
the  prairie,  and  only  one  of  many  similar  : — June  19  :  We  had  not 
been  an  hour  in  our  tents  before  one  of  the  dreadful  storms  swept 
over  us ;  the  horizon  was  of  the  deepest  purple,  illumed  occasion- 
ally by  flashes  of  forked  lightning,  the  accompanying  rain  resem- 
bling, at  the  distance  at  which  we  stood,  a  rugged  cloud  descending 
to  the  earth.  I  cannot  describe  the  startling  effect  of  the  thunder — 
each  clap  resembling  some  immense  cannon,  shaking  the  very  earth. 
I  have  a  full  perception  of  the  sublimity  and  grandeur  of  these 
storms,  but  cannot  attempt  an  adequate  description.  When  the 
storm  reached  the  tent  it  was  blown  over,  and  we  were  left  to  seek 
shelter  in  the  best  way  we  could.  I  dragged  my  coverings  under 
a  wagon,  but  soon  found  I  was  lying  in  a  pool  of  water,  with  satu- 
rated blankets.  I  then  crawled  into  a  wagon,  and  in  a  cramped 
position,  bitten  horribly  by  mosquitoes,  I  passed  an  emphatically 
miserable  night. 

"  About  the  middle  of  June  I  was  taken  ill.  and,  with  slight  in- 
terruptions, continued  so  till  we  reached  this  '  city.'  You  will  per- 
haps imagine  that,  being  so  stylea,it  resembles  an  English  city  ;  but 
it  is  only  in  prospect.  The  houses  are  either  of  logs,  or  built  of 
mud  bricks,  called  '  dobies,'  and,  but  in  a  few  instances,  are  not 
larger  than  one  or  two  rooms  ;  but  time  will  accomplish  much  for 
this  energetic  and  faithful  people.  Each  house  stands  in  an  acre  and 
a  quarter  of  garden-ground,  eight  lots  in  a  block,  forming  squares. 
The  streets,  which  are  wide,  are  to  be  lined  with  trees,  with  a  canal, 
for  the  purpose  of  irrigation,  running  through  the  centre.  As  our 
wagon  entered  this  beautiful  valley,  with  the  long  absent  comforts 
of  a  home  in  prospect,  I  experienced  a  considerable  change  for  the 
better;  and  when,  to  my  surprise  and  gratitude,  I  met  a  pious,  kind, 
and  intelligent  artist,  and  a  countryman  also,  who  took  me,  emacia- 
ted, sick,  and  dirty,  to  his  humble  home,  my  happiness  seemed  com- 
pleted. You  must,  from  their  own  works,  read  the  history  of  the 
Mormonites,  and  you  will  then  learn  how  this  despised  people  have 


310  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

been  persecuted  and  driven  from  place  to  place,  until  they  have  at 
length  found  a  haven  in  the  all  but  inaccessible  valley  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  where  are  gathered  together,  almost  from  every  nation, 
some  10.000  of  those  who  felt  happy  in  sacrificing  all  that  the  world 
holds  dear  for  the  sake  of  their  faith ;  and  after  struggling  with 
innumerable  difficulties  and  hardships,  are  building  their  temple  in 
the  wilderness,  and  are  rapidly  increasing  both  in  spiritual  and  tem- 
poral wealth,  having  a  Church  organized  according  to  the  New  Tes- 
tament pattern,  and  endeavoring  to  live  by  every  word  that  pro- 
ceeded from  the  mouth  of  the  Lord.  The  land  here  is  most  fruit- 
ful— I  am  told  it  produces  80  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre  ;  and 
vines,  delicious  melons,  with  other  fruits  and  vegetables,  grow  in 
profusion.  A  city  lot — that  is,  one  acre  and  a  quarter — may  be  pur- 
chased at  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents,  and  would  produce  food  sufficient 
for  my  wants  the  whole  year.  No  man  with  ordinary  intelligence 
can  be  poor  in  such  a  place  ;  and  then,  glorious  privilege  !  he  can 
be  free  from  the  harassments  and  perplexities  which  continually  de- 
stroy the  peace  of  those  who  live  in  an  artificial  state  of  society. 

"  When  recruited,  in  order  to  accomplish  the  remaining  600  miles, 
the  distance  that  still  intervened  between  the  city  and  California,  the 
wagons  were  sold,  and  ten  of  our  number  started  for  their  original 
destination,  through  mountains  covered  with  snow,  with  a  prospect 
of  being  slain  by  Indians,  or  of  feeding  either  upon  their  mules  or 
each  other.  The  other  thirteen  remained,  earned  their  living  in  dif- 
ferent ways  until  later  in  the  season,  and  have  since  started  upon  a 
southern  route  of  1,600  miles,  for  the  gold  mines,  leaving  me  still 
too  unwell  to  accompany  them." 

A  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Tribune,  writing  under 
the  date  of  July  8,  1849,  gives  the  following  account  of  the 
state  of  affairs  at  the  new  Mormon  city  : — 

"  The  company  of  gold-diggers  which  I  have  the  honor  to  com- 
mand, arrived  here  on  the  3d  instant,  and  judge  our  feelings  when, 
after  some  twelve  hundred  miles  of  travel  through  an  uncultivated 
desert,  and  the  last  one  hundred  miles  of  the  distance  through  and 
among  lofty  mountains,  and  narrow  and  difficult  ravines,  we  found 


CORRESPONDENCE  FROM  THE  GREAT  SALT  LAKE  CITY.       311 

ourselves  suddenly,  and  almost  unexpectedly,  in  a  comparative  para- 
dise. 

';  We  descended  the  last  mountain  by  a  passage  excessively  steep 
and  abrupt,  and  continued  our  gradual  descent  through  a  narrow 
canon  for  five  or  six  miles,  when,  suddenly  emerging  from  the  pass, 
an  extensive  and  cultivated  valley  opened  before  us,  at  the  same  in- 
stant that  we  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  distant  bosom  of  the  Great 
Salt  Lake,  which  lay  expanded  before  us  to  the  westward,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  some  twenty  miles. 

"  Descending  the  table-land  which  bordered  the  valley,  extensive 
herds  of  cattle,  horses,  and  sheep,  were  grazing  in  every  direction, 
reminding  us  of  that  home  and  civilization  from  which  we  had  so 
widely  departed — for  as  yet  the  fields  and  houses  were  in  the  dis- 
tance. Passing  over  some  miles  of  pasture  land,  we  at  length 
found  ourselves  in  a  broad  and  fenced  street,  extending  westward  in 
a  straight  line  for  several  miles.  Houses  of  wood  or  sun-dried  brick 
were  thickly  clustered  in  the  vale  before  us,  some  thousands  in  num- 
ber, and  occupying  a  spot  about  as  large  as  the  city  of  New  York. 
The  whole  space  for  miles,  excepting  the  streets  and  houses,  was  in 
a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Fields  of  yellow  wheat  stood  waiting 
for  the  harvest,  and  Indian  corn,  potatoes,  oats,  flax,  and  all  kinds  of 
garden  vegetables,  were  growing  in  profusion,  and  seemed  about  in 
the  same  state  of  forwardness  as  in  the  same  latitude  in  the  States. 

"  At  first  sight  of  all  these  signs  of  cultivation  in  the  wilderness, 
we  were  transported  with  wonder  and  pleasure.  Some  wept,  some 
gave  three  cheers,  some  laughed,  and  some  ran  and  fairly  danced  for 
joy — while  all  felt  inexpressibly  happy  to  find  themselves  once  more 
amid  scenes  which  mark  the  progress  of  advancing  civilization.  We 
passed  on  amid  scenes  like  these,  expecting  every  moment  to  come 
to  some  commercial  centre,  some  business  point  in  this  great  metrop- 
olis of  the  mountains ;  but  we  were  disappointed.  No  hotel,  sign- 
post, cake  and  beer  shop,  barber  pole,  market-house,  grocery,  pro- 
vision, dry  goods,  or  hardware  store  distinguished  one  part  of  the 
town  from  another,  not  even  a  bakery  or  mechanic's  sign  was  any- 
where discernible. 

"  Here,  then,  was  something  new  :  an  entire  people  reduced  to  a 
level,  and  all  living  by  their  labor — all  cultivating  the  earth,  or  foU 
lowing  some  branch  of  physical  industry.     At  first  I  thought  it  was 


312  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

an  experiment,  an  order  of  things  established  purposely  to  carry  out 
the  principles  of '  Socialism'  or '  Mormonism.'  In  short,  I  thought  it 
very  much  like  Ovvenism  personified.  However,  on  inquiry,  I  found 
that  a  combination  of  seemingly  unavoidable  circumstances  had  pro- 
duced this  singular  state  of  affairs.  There  were  no  hotels,  because 
there  had  been  no  travel ;  no  barber's  shops,  because  every  one  chose 
to  shave  himself,  and  no  one  had  time  to  shave  his  neighbor  ;  no 
stores,  because  they  had  no  goods  to  sell,  nor  time  to  traffic  ;  no 
centre  of  business,  because  all  were  too  busy  to  make  a  centre. 

"  There  was  abundance  of  mechanic's  shops,  of  dressmakers,  mil- 
liners, and  tailors,  &c. ;  but  they  needed  no  sign,  nor  had  they  time 
to  paint  or  erect  one,'  for  they  were  crowded  with  business.  Beside 
their  several  trades,  all  must  cultivate  the  land,  or  die  ;  for  the  coun- 
try was  new,  and  no  cultivation  but  their  own  within  a  thousand 
miles.  Every  one  had  his  lot,  and  built  on  it ;  every  one  cultivated 
it,  and  perhaps  a  small  farm  in  the  distance. 

"  And  the  strangest  of  all  was,  that  this  great  city,  extending  over 
several  square  miles,  had  been  erected,  and  every  house  and  fence 
made,  within  nine  or  ten  months  of  the  time  of  our  arrival ;  while  at 
the  same  time,  good  bridges  were  erected  over  the  principal  streams, 
and  the  country  settlements  extended  nearly  one  hundred  miles  up 
and  down  the  valley. 

"  This  territory,  state,  or,  as  some  term  it, '  Mormon  Empire,'  may 
justly  be  considered  as  one  of  the  greatest  prodigies  of  our  time,  and, 
in  comparison  with  its  age,  the  most  gigantic  of  all  republics  in  ex- 
istence ;  being  only  its  second  year  since  the  first  seed  of  cultivation 
was  planted,  or  the  first  civilized  habitation  commenced.  If  these 
people  were  such  thieves  and  robbers  as  their  enemies  represented 
them  in  the  States,  I  must  think  they  have  greatly  reformed  in  point 
of  industry  since  coming  to  the  mountains. 

"  I  this  day  attended  worship  with  them  in  the  open  air.  Some 
thousands  of  well-dressed,  intelligent-looking  people  assembled  ;  some 
on  foot,  some  in  carriages,  and  on  horseback.  Many  were  neatly, 
and  even  fashionably  clad.  The  beauty  and  neatness  of  the  ladies 
reminded  me  of  some  of  our  best  congregations  in  New  York.  They 
had  a  choir  of  both  sexes,  who  performed  extremely  well,  accompa- 
nied by  a  band  who  played  well  on  almost  every  musical  instrument 
of  modern  invention.     Peals  of  the  most  sweet,  sacred  and  solemn 


xtidGHAM    YOUNG    AS    A    PREACHER.  313 

music  filled  the  air,  after  which,  a  solemn  prayer  was  offered  by 
Mr.  Grant  (a  Latter-Day  Saint),  of  Philadelphia.  Then  followed 
various  business  advertisements,  read  by  the  clerk.  Among  these  I 
remember  a  call  of  the  seventeenth  ward,  by  its  presiding  bishop,  to 
some  business  meeting  ;  a  call  for  a  meeting  of  the  thirty-second 
quorum  of  the  seventy  ;  and  a  meeting  of  the  officers  of  the  second 
cohort  of  the  military  legion,  &c.  &c. 

"  After  this,  came  a  lengthy  discourse  from  Mr.  Brigham  Young, 
president  of  the  society,  partaking  somewhat  of  politics,  much  of  re- 
ligion and  philosophy,  and  a  little  on  the  subject  of  gold,  showing  the 
wealth,  strength,  and  glory  of  England,  growing  out  of  her  coal 
mines,  iron,  and  industry  ;  and  the  weakness,  corruption,  and  degra- 
dation of  Spanish  America,  Spain,  &c,  growing  out  of  her  gold,  sil- 
ver, &c,  and  her  idle  habits. 

"  Every  one  seemed  interested  and  pleased  with  his  remarks,  and 
all  appeared  to  be  contented  to  stay  at  home  and  pursue  a  perse- 
vering industry,  although  mountains  of  gold  were  near  them.  The 
able  speaker  painted  in  lively  colors  the  ruin  which  would  be  brought 
upon  the  United  States  by  gold,  and  boldly  predicted  that  they  would 
be  overthrown  because  they  had  killed  the  prophets,  stoned  and  re- 
jected those  who  were  sent  to  call  them  to  repentance,  and  finally 
plundered  and  driven  the  Church  of  the  Saints  from  their  midst,  and 
burned  and  desolated  their  city  and  temple.  He  said  God  had  a  reck- 
oning with  that  people,  and  gold  would  be  the  instrument  of  their 
overthrow.  The  constitutions  and  laws  were  good — in  fact,  the 
best  in  the  world  ;  but  the  administrators  were  corrupt,  and  the  laws 
and  constitutions  were  not  carried  out.  Therefore  they  must  fall. 
He  further  observed,  that  the  people  here  would  petition  to  be  or- 
ganized into  a  territory  under  that  same  government,  notwithstand- 
ing its  abuses,  and  that,  if  granted,  they  would  stand  by  the  consti- 
tution and  laws  of  the  United  States ;  while  at  the  same  time  he 
denounced  their  corruption  and  abuses. 

"  But,  said  the  speaker,  we  ask  no  odds  of  them,  whether  they 
grant  our  petition  or  not !  We  never  will  ask  any  odds  of  a  nation 
who  has  driven  us  from  our  homes.  If  they  grant  us  our  rights, 
well ;  if  not,  well ;  they  can  do  no  more  than  they  have  done. 
They,  and  ourselves,  and  all  men,  are  in  the  hands  of  the  great 


314  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

God,  who  will  govern  all  things  for  good,  and  all  will  be  right,  and 
work  together  for  good  to  them  that  serve  God. 

"  Such,  in  part,  was  the  discourse  to  which  we  listened  in  the 
strongholds  of  the  mountains.  The  Mormons  are  not  dead,  nor  is 
their  spirit  broken.  And,  if  I  mistake  not,  there  is  a  noble,  daring, 
stern,  and  democratic  spirit  swelling  in  their  bosoms,  which  will 
people  these  mountains  with  a  race  of  independent  men,  and  influ- 
ence the  destiny  of  our  country  and  the  world  for  a  hundred  gen- 
erations. In  their  religion  they  seem  charitable,  devoted,  and  sin- 
cere ;  in  their  politics,  bold,  daring,  and  determined  ;  in  their  domes- 
tic circle,  quiet,  affectionate,  and  happy ;  while  in  industry,  skill, 
and  intelligence,  they  have  few  equals,  and  no  superiors  on  the 
earth. 

"  I  had  many  strange  feelings  while  contemplating  this  new  civil- 
ization growing  up  so  suddenly  in  the  wilderness.  I  almost  wished 
I  could  awake  from  my  golden  dream,  and  find  it  but  a  dream  ;  while 
I  pursued  my  domestic  duties  as  quiet,  as  happy,  and  contented  as 
this  strange  people." 

A  more  recent  correspondent  of  a  New  York  newspaper 
also  describes  the  rising  condition  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake 
City  :— 

"  It  is  now  three  years  since  the  Mormons  arrived  in  Salt  Lake 
Valley,  and  their  progress  in  laying  out  a  city,  buildings,  fencing 
farms,  raising  crops,  &c,  is  truly  wonderful  to  behold ;  and  is  but 
another  striking  demonstration  of  the  indefatigable  enterprise,  in- 
dustry and  perseverance,  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race. 

"  The  city  is  laid  out  into  about- twenty  different  wards,  and  covers 
an  area  of  three  square  miles.  It  already  contains  about  one  thou- 
sand houses,  nearly  one  story  and  a  half  high,  built  of  adobe,  or 
sunburnt  brick.  A  fine  stream  of  cold  water  rushes  down  from 
the  mountains,  which  is  distributed  in  ditches  through  every  street 
in  the  city,  through  the  gardens,  and  to  the  doors  of  the  dwellings, 
where  it  is  used  for  culinary  and  other  purposes.  The  ground 
whereon  the  city  is  built  is  sloping,  which  affords  a  great  fall  for 
the  water,  the  current  through  the  ditches  running  at  the  rate  of 
about  '  four  knots  an  hour,'  and  keeps  up  a  continual  supply  of 
fresh  water  from  the  mountains.    The  valley  where  the  city  stands 


PROSPERITY    OF    THE    GREAT    SALT    LAKE    CITY.  315 

is  quite  'handsome,'  running  east  and  west.  The  city  is  situate 
about  three  miles  from  the  Timpanagos  Mountains  on  the  east, 
within  five  of  the  Utah  outlet  on  the  south-east,  and  within  twenty 
miles  from  a  range  of  mountains  on  the  south,  and  within  twenty- 
two  miles  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  Its  population  is  about  five 
thousand,  that  of  the  valley  ten  thousand,  exclusive  of  the  city. 
The  Morjnons  are  now  building  a  neat  stone  State  House,  two 
stories  high,  and  its  dimensions  are  forty  by  ninety  feet.  Most  of 
the  city  is  fenced,  every  half  square  mile  being  under  one  enclosure, 
almost  every  foot  of  the  ground  (except  where  the  house  stands) 
being  occupied  in  grain  and  vegetables.  There  are  several  stores 
kept  here.  Mechanics  of  different  trades  are  busily  engaged.  The 
Mormons,  take  them  as  a  body,  I  truly  believe  are  a  most  industri- 
ous people,  and,  I  confess,  as  intelligent  as  any  I  have  met  with, 
either  in  the  east  or  the  west.  It  is  true  they  are  a  little  fanatical 
about  their  religious  views,  which  is  not  at  all  strange  when  com- 
pared with  the  majority  of  religious  denominations  in  the  east.  But 
let  no  man  be  deceived  in  his  estimation  of  the  people  who  have 
settled  here.  Any  people  who  have  the  courage  to  travel  over 
plains,  rivers,  and  mountains,  for  twelve  hundred  miles,  such  prob- 
ably as  cannot  be  travelled  over  in  any  other  part  of  the  world,  to 
settle  in  a  region  which  scarcely  ever  received  the  tread  of  any  but 
the  wild  savage  and  beasts  who  roam  the  wilderness,  must  be 
possessed  of  indomitable  energy  which  is  but  rarely  met  with. 

"  Brigham  Young,  the  president  of  the  Mormon  Church  here 
(and  to  whom  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction),  is  a  man  about  forty 
years  of  age,  of  light  complexion,  ordinary  height,  but  rather  cor- 
pulent. He  exercises  a  vast  influence  among  the  Mormons,  prob- 
ably more  than  any  other  man,  and  I  think  stands  nearly  in  the 
same  position  as  their  Saint,  Joseph  Smith.  He  is  a  man  of  con- 
siderable intelligence,  and  I  think  has  seen  a  good  deal  of  the 
world.  The  greatest  fault  I  can  find  with  his  preaching  is,  that  he 
is  almost  too  egotistical.  Instead  of  taking  a  text  from  the  Good 
Book,  and  if  possible  showing  that  the  Book  of  Mormon  is  the  true 
road,  he  confines  himself  altogether  to  giving  accounts  of  their 
persecuted  Church  in  bygone  days,  and  in  '  showing  up'  its  present 
enemies.     I  have  heard  him  preach  twice,  and  have  had  several 


316  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

private  conversations  with  him.     In  private,  he  is  very  sociable  and 
talkative,  joking  and  laughing  as  heartily  as  anybody." 

The  latest  traveller  through  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley, 
who  has  published  an  account  of  his  journey,  is  Mr.  William 
Kelly,  the  author  of  Excursions  in  California.  In  this 
very  entertaining  work  he  thus  describes  his  first  view  of  the 
New  Mormon  City  : — 

"  Instead  of  a  charming  valley  beautifully  diversified  with  wood 
and  water,  there  was  a  bald,  level  plain,  extending  over  to  the  base 
of  the  Utah  range  on  the  other  side,  without  bush  or  bramble  to  cast 
a  shade  from  the  scorching  rays  of  a  flaming  sun,  that  blazed  with  a 
twofold  intensity,  reflected  by  the  lofty  ranges  by  which  the  plain  is 
bounded.  Some  miles  to  the  north  lay  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  glisten- 
ing in  radiance  like  a  sheet  of  crystals,  in  strange  contrast  with  the 
dark  and  sombre  Utah  range  that  stretch  along  its  western  shores. 
At  first  the  city  was  not  visible,  but  on  passing  over  a  piece  of  table- 
land the  new  capital  of  the  Mormons  became  revealed — not,  I  must 
admit,  with  any  very  striking  effect,  for  it  was  too  young  as  yet  to 
boast  the  stately  ornaments  of  spire  and  dome,  which  first  attract  the 
eye  of  the  anxious  traveller.  We  saw  from  here,  with  great  dis- 
tinctness, the  plan  of  the  place,  which  had  nothing  novel  or  peculiar 
about  it,  laid  out  in  very  wide,  regular  streets,  radiating  from  a  large 
space  in  the  centre,  where  there  appeared  the  basement  and  tall  scaf- 
folding-poles of  an  immense  building  in  progress  of  erection.  The 
houses  were  far  apart,  each  being  allotted  a  space  for  gardens  and 
enclosure,  which  caused  k  to  cover  a  very  large  space  of  ground. 

"  We  were  soon  discovered  coming  down  the  slope,  and  as  we 
entered  the  precincts  of  the  town,  the  inhabitants  came  to  the  front 
of  their  houses,  but  showed  no  disposition  to  open  an  acquaintance- 
account,  believing  us  to  be  an  exclusively  American  caravan..  So 
soon,  however,  as  they  were  undeceived,  they  came  about  us  in  great 
numbers,  inquiring  what  we  had  to  dispose  of.  They  were  neat  and 
well  clad,  their  children  tidy,  the  rosy  glow  of  health  and  robustness 
mantling  on  the  cheeks  of  all,  while  the  softer  tints  of  female  loveli- 
ness prevailed  to  a  degree  that  goes  far  to  prove  those  '  Latter-Day 
Saints'  have  very  correct  notions  of  angelic  perfectibility.     We  po- 


AN    ENGLISH    TRAVELLER   AT   DESERET.  31 Y 

ltteiy  declined  several  courteous  offers  of  gratuitous  lodging1,  select- 
ing our  quarters  in  a  luxuriant  meadow  at  the  north  end  of  the  city ; 
but  had  not  our  tents  well  pitched,  when  we  had  loads  of  presents — 
butter,  milk,  small  cheeses,  eggs,  and  vegetables,  which  we  received 
reluctantly,  not  having  any  equivalent  returns  to  make,  except  in 
money,  which  they  altogether  declined ;  in  fact,  the  only  thing  we 
had  in  superabundance  was  preserved  apples  and  peaches,  a  portion 
of  which  we  presented  to  one  of  the  elders,  who  gave  a  delightful 
party  in  the  evening,  at  which  all  our  folks  were  present.  We  found 
a  very  large  and  joyous  throng  assembled  ;  the  house  turned  inside 
out  to  make  more  room  on  the  occasion,  with  gaiety,  unembarrassed 
by  ceremony,  animating  the  whole,  making  me  almost  fancy  I  was 
spending  the  evening  amongst  the  crowded  haunts  of  the  old  world, 
instead  of  a  sequestered  valley,  lying  between  the  Utah  and  Timpa- 
nagos  Mountains.     After  tea  was  served, 

11 '  There  were  the  sounds  of  dancing  feet 
Mingling  with  the  tones  of  music  sweet," 

or,  as  Dermot  MacFig  would  say, 

"  '  We  shook  a  loose  toe, 

While  he  humored  the  bow." 

Keeping  it  up  to  a  late  hour,  perfectly  enraptured  with  the  Mormon 
ladies,  and  Mormon  hospitality. 

"  I  was  not  aware  before  that  polygamy  was  sanctioned  by  their 
creed,  beyond  a  species  of  ethereal  Platonism  which  accorded  to  its 
especial  saints  chosen  partners,  called  '  spiritual  wives  ;'  but  I  now 
found  that  these,  contrary  to  one's  ordinary  notions  of  spiritualism, 
gave  birth  to  cherubs  and  unfledged  angels.  When  our  party  ar- 
rived we  were  introduced  to  a  staid,  matronly-looking  lady  as  Mrs. 
***•*,  and  as  we  proceeded  up  the  room,  to  a  blooming  young  creature, 
a  fitting  mother  for  a  celestial  progeny,  as  the  other  Mrs.  ****,  with- 
out any  worldly  or  spiritual  distinction  whatsoever.  At  first,  I  thought 
it  a  misconception  ;  but  inquiry  confirmed  the  fact  of  there  being  two 
mistresses  in  the  same  establishment,  both  with  terrestrial  habits  and 
duties  to  perform,  which  I  found  afterwards  to  be  the  case  in  other 


318  HISTORY   OF    THE    MORMONS. 

instances,  where  the  parties  could  lay  no  claim  to  any  particular 
saintliness. 

"  On  Saturday  morning,  we  had  a  very  early  levee  at  our  tents, 
with  fresh  milk,  butter,  fowls  and  eggs,  and  a  light  wagon  in  atten- 
dance, with  a  side  of  beef,  a  carcase  of  mutton,  and  a  veal, — all  of 
superior  quality ;  the  latter  articles  for  sale  professionally,  but  cer- 
tainly on  most  moderate  terms, — the  prime  joints  not  averaging  over 
one  penny  per  pound.  The  other  matters  we  were  forced  to  accept, 
and  gave  to  the  donors  what  we  could  afford  of  coffee,  sugar,  and 
tobacco,  which  were  not  to  be  had  in  the  city  for  the  last  two  months. 
In  addition  to  those  timely  presents,  we  got  all  our  washing  done  in 
the  very  best  style  of  art.  After  breakfast  we  went  out  returning 
visits,  and  were  most  graciously  received  in  every  quarter.  The 
houses  are  small,  principally  of  brick,  built  up  only  as  temporary 
abodes,  until  the  more  urgent  and  important  matters  of  inclosure  and 
cultivation  are  attended  to  ;  but  I  never  saw  anything  to  surpass  the 
ingenuity  of  arrangement  with  which  they  are  fitted  up,  and  the 
scrupulous  cleanliness  with  which  they  are  kept.  There  were 
tradesmen  and  artisans  of  all  descriptions,  but  no  regular  stores  or 
workshops,  except  forges.  Still,  from  the  shoeing  of  a  wagon  to 
the  mending  of  a  watch,  there  was  no  difficulty  experienced  in  get- 
ting it  done,  as  cheap  and  as  well  put  out  of  hand  as  in  any  other 
city  in  America.  Notwithstanding  the  oppressive  temperature,  they 
were  all  hard  at  work  at  their  trades,  and  abroad  in  the  fields,  weed- 
ing, moulding,  and  irrigating;  and  it  certainly  speaks  volumes  for 
their  energy  and  industry,  to  see  the  quantity  of  land  they  have 
fenced  in,  and  the  breadth  under  cultivation,  considering  the  very 
short  time  since  they  had  founded  the  settlement  in  1847.  There 
was  ample  promise  of  an  abundant  harvest,  in  magnificent  crops  of 
wheat,  maize,  potatoes,  and  every  description  of  garden-vegetable,  all 
of  which  require  irrigation,  as  there  is  little  or  no  rain  in  this  region, 
a  salt-lake  shower  being  estimated  at  a  drop  to  each  inhabitant.  They 
have  numerous  herds  of  the  finest  cattle,  droves  of  excellent  sheep, 
with  horses  and  mules  enough  and  to  spare ;  but  very  few  pigs,  per- 
sons having  them  being  obliged  to  keep  them  chained,  as  the  fences 
are  not  close  enough  to  prevent  them  damaging  the  crops.  How- 
ever, they  have  legions  of  superior  poultry,  so  that  they  live  in  the 
most  plentiful  manner   possible.     We   exchanged   and   purchased 


A   SUNDAY    AT   DESERET.  319 

some  mules  and  horses  on  very  favorable  terms,  knowing  we  would 
stand  in  need  of  strong  teams  in  crossing  the  Sierra  Nevada. 

"  On  Sunday  morning  early  we  went  to  the  hot  springs,  a  mile 
beyond  the  town,  where  the  authorities  were  erecting  a  handsome 
and  commodious  building,  and  had  a  glorious  bath,  in  sulphur  water, 
at  a  temperature  just  as  high  as  could  be  comfortably  endured,  drink- 
ing, too,  of  the  stream  as  it  gushed  from  the  hill-side  in  a  thick  vol- 
ume, being  told  it  possessed  certain  medicinal  properties  of  which 
we  all  stood  in  need.  The  Mormons  made  a  boast  of  their  good 
health,  and  attribute  it  to  bathing  in  those  springs,  many  that  I  met 
declaring  they  came  to  the  Valley  perfect  cripples,  and  were  restored 
to  their  health  and  agility  by  frequenting  them. 

"  After  bathing,  we  dressed  in  our  best  attire,  and  prepared  to  at- 
tend the  Mormon  service,  held  for  the  present  in  the  large  space  ad- 
joining the  intended  temple,  which  is  only  just  above  the  foundations, 
but  will  be  a  structure  of  stupendous  proportions ;  and,  if  finished 
according  to  the  plan,  of  surpassing  elegance.  I  went  early,  and 
found  a  rostrum,  in  front  of  which  there  were  rows  of  stools  and 
chairs  for  the  townfolk  ;  those  from  the  country,  who  arrived  in 
great  numbers,  in  light  wagons,  sitting  on  chairs,  took  up  their  sta- 
tions in  their  vehicles  in  the  background,  after  unharnessing  the 
horses.  There  was  a  very  large  and  most  respectable  congregation  ; 
the  ladies  attired  in  rich  and  becoming  costumes,  each  with  parasols ; 
and  I  hope  I  may  say,  without  any  imputation  of  profanity,  a  more 
bewitching  assemblage  of  the  sex  it  has  rarely  been  my  lot  to  look 
upon.  Before  the  religious  ceremony  commenced,  five  men  mounted 
the  rostrum,  who  were,  as  I  learned,  the  weekly  committee  of  inspec- 
tion. The  chairman  read  his  general  report  of  the  prospects  and 
proceedings  of  the  colony,  and  then  read  a  list  of  those  deserving  of 
particular  commendation  for  their  superior  husbandry,  the  extent  of 
their  fencing,  and  other  improvements,  which  was  followed  by  the 
black  list,  enumerating  the  idle,  slothful,  and  unimproving  portion 
of  the  community,  who  were  held  up  to  reprobation  ;  and  threatened, 
in  default  of  certain  tasks  allotted  them  being  finished  at  the  next 
visit,  to  be  deprived  of  their  lots,  and  expelled  the  community.  The 
reading  of  these  lists  produced  an  evident  sensation,  and,  I  am  satis- 
fied, stimulate  the  industrious  to  extra  exertion,  and  goad  the  lazy  to 
work  in  self-defence.    This  over,  another,  « the  gentleman  in  black,' 


320  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

got  up,  and,  without  any  form  of  service  or  prefatory  prayer,  read 
aloud  a  text  from  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  commenced  a  sermon, 
or  discourse,  dz  rnultis  rebus  et  quibusdam  aliis,  taking  a  fling  at  the 
various  other  religions,  showing  them  up  by  invidious  comparison 
with  the  creed  of  the  Valley.  He  then  pointed  out  the  way  to  ar- 
rive at  Mormon  sanctity,  in  which  there  was  nothing  objectionable 
as  laid  down,  and  exhorted  the  congregation,  not  only  as  they  valued 
their  salvation,  but  their  crops,  to  so  demean  themselves,  and  en- 
deavor to  propitiate  the  favor  and  indulgence  of  the  Supreme  Being, 
calling  to  mind  that,  in  the  year  of  righteousness  (last  year)  he  sent 
sea-gulls,  a  bird  never  before  known  to  visit  the  valley,  to  devour 
the  crickets,  who  would  otherwise,  from  their  numbers,  have  anni- 
hilated all  vegetation.* 

"  He  then  adverted  to  the  barbarous  treatment  they  received  at 
the  hands  of  the  Americans,  forgetting  to  avow  his  charitable  for- 
giveness, and  expressed  a  belief  that  their  avarice  would  yet  induce 
them  to  covet  their  possessions  in  Salt  Lake ;  but  he  entertained  a 
hope  that  the  Mormons  by  that  time  would  be  strong  enough  to 
guard  and  maintain  their  rights  and  independence.  He  talked  of  the 
gold  of  California,  which  he  said  was  discovered  by  Mormon  energy, 
but  they  freely  abandoned  it  to  American  cupidity,  as  they  (the  Mor- 
mons) did  not  desire  such  worldly  aggrandizement. 

"  The  affairs  of  Church  and  State  here  go  strictly  hand  in  hand, 
the  elders  of  the  Church  being  the  magistrates  and  functionaries  in 
all  civil  and  criminal  matters,  the  frarners  of  the  law  and  chancellors 
of  the  exchequer,  with  whom  it  is  expected  that  every  member  of 
the  community  will  lodge  whatever  wealth  they  may  acquire  beyond 
their  immediate  wants,  taking  treasury  notes  of  acknowledgment. 

"  There  are  no  written  laws  among  them  ;  but  trespasses,  outrages, 
and  such  matters,  are  taken  cognizance  of  by  the  elders,  and  adjudi- 
cated on  summarily,  according  to  conscience,  fines  and  public  flog- 
ging being  the  punishments  most  in  vogue.    The  authorities  have  a 

*  It  is  surprising  the  Mormons,  who  are,  as  a  class,  a  most  astute 
and  reasoning  people,  can  be  gulled  and  gammoned  after  this  fashion, 
for  sea-gulls  are  met  all  across  the  plains  and  were  seen  in  the  Valley 
the  first  time  Colonel  Fremont  visited  it,  in  1845,  two  years  before  the 
Mormons  thought  of  settling  there. 


MORMON  GOLD  HARVEST.  321 

mint,  from  which  they  issue  gold  coin  only  ;  it  is  plain,  but  massive, 
without  any  alloy. 

"  There  are,  as  far  as  I  could  hear  or  judge,  about  5,000  inhabi- 
tants in  the  town,  and  7,000  more  in  the  settlements,  which  extend 
forty  miles  each  way — north  to  the  Weber,  and  south  towards  Utah 
Lake.  The  valley,  at  its  greatest  width,  is  not  over  fifteen  miles, 
and  I  think  seven  would  be  a  fair  average.  Its  soil  is  a  rich  black 
loam,  and  is  watered,  besides  the  Jordan,  which  flows  through  its 
centre  from  Utah  to  Salt  Lake,  by  innumerable  springs  of  good 
water,  and  streamlets  flowing  from  the  snowy  mountains ;  but  it  has 
a  naked  bleak  look  for  want  of  timber,  which  renders  the  effects  of 
the  sun  next  thing  to  unbearable.  The  city  is  situated  on  the  south- 
east end  of  the  lake,  about  nine  miles  from  its  shores." 

Brigham  Young,  in  a  paragraph  previously  quoted,  talks 
magniloquently  of  gold  being  only  fit  for  the  paving  of  streets 
and  the  roofing  of  houses  ;  but  it  appears  that  the  sect  has 
been  so  successful  at  the  diggings  of  California,  as  well  as  at 
the  more  profitable  diggings  of  the  soil  of  a  grain  and  fruit 
produce  country,  that  they  have  put  aside  3^-  tons,  or  94,080 
ounces  of  gold,  gathered  in  California,  for  the  purpose  of 
"  gathering"  the  poor  Saints  from  England  and  other  parts 
of  Europe,  as  well  as  from  the  remote  districts  of  the  Ameri- 
can Union,  into  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley.  At  £4  an 
ounce,  this  would  amount  to  £376,320.  It  is  possible  that 
they  may  have  exaggerated  their  resources  in  this  respect. 
The  gold  coinage  of  their  new  State  of  Deseret  has  been  al- 
ready struck.  The  five-dollar  pieces  are  of  pure  Californian 
gold,  without  alloy,  and  somewhat  smaller,  but  much  heavier 
than  a  sovereign.  The  reverse  bears  the  inscription,  "  Holi- 
ness to  the  Lord,"  surmounting  the  eye  of  Jehovah,  and  a  cap 
somewhat  like  a  mitre,  both  very  rudely  executed.  The  ob- 
verse bears  two  hands  joined,  and  the  words,  "  Five  dollars." 
The  two  and  a  half  dollar  pieces  are  precisely  similar. 

21 


CHAPTER  X. 

moemonism — its  pfiesent  state,  and  social,  political,  and 
Religious  Aspect. 

In  tracing  the  history  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  Mormon- 
ism,  and  detailing  the  varied  fortunes  of  the  founders  and 
leaders  of  the  new  faith,  as  well  as  of  the  large  community 
who  have  recognized  Joseph  Smith  as  the  prophet  of  God, 
and  his  Book  of  Mormon  as  a  new  Bihle,  we  have  necessarily 
omitted  to  notice  many  controversial  points,  in  order  that  the 
continuity  of  the  narrative  might  not  be  broken.  Having 
concluded  this  portion  of  the  work,  we  proceed  to  the  con- 
sideration of  the  present  state  of  Mormonism,  and  to  the  ar- 
guments by  which  its  divinity  is  asserted  by  the  men  who  be- 
lieve in  it. 

The  discovery  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  is  connected,  by  the 
believers  in  it,  with  certain  Scripture  doctrines  and  prophecies 
concerning  the  Latter  Days.  Hence,  indeed,  the  designation 
of  the  sect,  as  the  Church  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints.  Here, 
we  have  to  admire  the  cleverness  of  the  case  which  they  have 
contrived  to  make  out  for  themselves.  The  wonder  is,  that 
so  much  plausible  evidence  should  be  collectible  in  support  of 
the  most  transparent  pious  fraud  ever  attempted  to  be  palmed 
off  on  the  credulity  of  mankind.  However,  so  it  is  ;  and  it  is 
"  writ  down  in  our  duty"  to  say  a  few  words  on  this  curi- 
ous point. 

In  treating  of  this  subject,  in  his  pamphlet  on  the  Divine 


s-aft#J 


I  lit'.         .1»^=*XH  ' 


CEREMONY    OF    CONFIRMATION. 


THE    BOOK    OF    MORMON.  325 

Authenticity  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  Mr.  Orson  Pratt,  by  far 
the  ablest  writer  whom  Mormonism  has  produced,  commences 
by  a  triumphant  recapitulation  of  the  means  by  which  he  has 
reduced  his  opponents  to  the  necessity  of  asserting  a  mere  ne- 
gation in  defence  of  their  disbelief.  Secure  in  the  strength 
of  his  affirmative  position,  he  characteristically  defies  "  all  the 
powers  of  priestcraft,  editors,  and  the  infernal  regions  com- 
bined," to  disprove  his  "  vast  amount  of  most  incontestable 
evidences,"  by  which  it  has  been  "  abundantly"  testified  that 
"the  Book  of  Mormon  has  been  confirmed  by  the  voice  of  the 
Lord,  by  the  ministry  of  angels,  by  heavenly  visions  or  by  the 
miraculous  gifts  and  powers  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  unto  tens  of 
thousands  of  witnesses."  Nay,  he  boldly  declares  that  "  if 
any  one  will  follow  the  steps  of  demonstration  which  he  has 
pointed  out,  he  will  know  with  the  same  certainty  that  it  is  a 
revelation  from  God,  that  a  geometrician  has  when  he  follows 
the  rules  of  demonstration  in  relation  to  any  particular  prob- 
lem." 

Such  being  the  state  of  the  argument,  Mr.  Orson  Pratt  pro- 
fesses to  feel  that  he  need  call  no  further  witnesses ;  but  nev- 
ertheless, for  the  sake  of  completeness,  he  summons  the 
prophets  into  court.  He  takes  the  last  first.  St.  John  on 
Patmos  (Revelations,  xiv.  6,  7,  8),  and  his  vision  of  an  angel 
"having  the  everlasting  Gospel  to  preach  unto  them  that 
dwell  on  the  earth,"  in  the  latter  days,  which,  of  course,  is 
none  other  than  the  all-needed  New  Revelation  contained  in 
the  "  Book  of  Mormon,"  with  the  restoration  of  the  Gospel 
priesthood,  its  gifts,  powers,  and  blessings.  Hitherto  the  world 
has  had  a  history  (in  the  New  Testament)  of  the  Gospel,  but 
not  in  its  enjoyment.  That  the  angel  was  to  preach  his  Ever- 
lasting Gospel  "to  every  nation,  kindred,  tongue,  and  people," 
shows  that  they  were  to  be  previously  destitute  of  it,  as  they 
have  been  practically.  Now,  the  "  Book  of  Mormon"  contains 
the  Everlasting  Gospel  in  all  its  fulness ;  moreover,  it  has 


326  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

been,  revealed  to   the  inhabitants  of  earth  by  "  an  angel." 

a.  E.  D. 

Corollary. — "  The  only  people  that  do  testify  that  the 
Gospel  has  been  restored  to  the  earth  by  an  angel  are  the  Lat- 
ter-Day Saints ;  therefore,  if  the  Gospel  is  restored,  the  Latter- 
Day  Saints  are  the  only  people  to  whom  it  is  restored  ;  all 
others  testify  that  it  has  not  been  restored  to  them.  If  the 
only  people  who  do  testify  to  the  restoration  of  the  Gospel  by 
angel  be  impostors,  then  all  nations  must  still  be  in  darkness, 
without  the  Gospel,  and  without  a  Christian  Church,  and 
must  remain  so  until  the  angel  is  sent  in  fulfilment  of  John's 
prediction." 

Again.  The  Church  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints  is  none  other 
than  the  Stone  foretold  by  Daniel  to  smite  the  Image  upon  its 
feet  of  iron  and  clay.      The  [Mormon]  proof  follows  : — 

"The  nations  of  modern  Europe,  including  England  and 
the  Gentile  nations  of  America,  compose  the  legs,  and  feet, 
and  toes,  of  the  image,  while  the  other  portions  of  the  Image 
will  be  found  mostly  among  the  Asiatic  nations.  The  geo- 
graphical position  of  the  image  is  from  east  to  west ;  its  head 
is  found  in  Asia,  and  its  toes  in  Europe  and  America.  When 
the  kingdom  of  God  is  set  up,  it  must  be  somewhere  near  the 
western  extremity  of  this  great  image,  for  the  toes  and  feet 
are  first  broken  by  it,  and  afterwards  all  the  other  portions, 
from  which  we  learn  that  its  advancement  is  from  west  to 
east.  The  progress  of  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  has  been 
from  east  to  west  ;  the  progress  of  the  kingdom  of  God  is  from 
west  to  east,  in  a  retrograde  direction.  This  stone,  according 
to  Daniel  (ii.  45),  is  to  be  '  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without 
hands,'  '  Cut  out  of  the  mountain,'  signifies  its  location  before 
any  part  of  the  image  is  broken.  The  present  location  of  the 
Latter-Day  Church  is  in  the  valleys  among  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains ;  this  appears  to  be  its  appropriate  position,  according 
to  prophecy.     The  stone  is  to  be  *  cut  out  without  hands  ;* 


THE    BOOK    OF    MORMON.  327 

this  signifies  that  it  is  a  kingdom,  not  formed  by  the  will  of 
man,  but  by  the  will  of  God  ;  human  wisdom  has  no  hand  in 
its  formation  ;  it  is  '  the  God  of  Heaven'  that  sets  it  up,  and 
by  him  it  will  be  sustained  and  never  destroyed,  nor  broken 
to  pieces,  nor  left  to  other  people. 

"  The  kingdoms  of  the  world  made  war  upon  the  saints  of 
the  former-day  kingdom,  and  prevailed  against  them,  and 
overcame  them,  and  rooted  them  out  of  the  earth,  so  that  the 
kingdom  no  longer  existed  among  the  nations  ;  not  so  with 
the  Latter-Day  kingdom  ;  for  it  will  prevail  against  the  king- 
doms of  the  world,  until  they  shall,  as  Daniel  says,  'become 
like  the  chaff  of  the  summer  thrashing-floors  :  and  the  wind 
carry  them  away,  that  no  place  shall  be  found  for  them  ;  and 
the  stone  that  smote  the  image,  shall  become  a  great  moun- 
tain, and  fill  the  whole  earth'  (Daniel,  ii.  35).  And  then 
shall  the  kingdom  and  dominion,  and  the  greatness  of  the 
kingdom  under  the  whole  heaven,  be  given  to  the  people  of 
the  saints  of  the  Most  High,  whose  kingdom  is  an  everlasting 
kingdom,  and  all  dominions  shall  serve  and  obey  him'  (Daniel, 
vii.  27).  The  events  predicted  by  Daniel  are  the  same  as 
the  events  predicted  by  John  ;  Daniel  says  a  kingdom  shall 
be  set  up  ;  John  tells  us  by  what  means,  namely,  through  the 
everlasting  Gospel,  revealed  by  an  angel.  Daniel  says,  when 
the  kingdom  of  God  is  set  up,  that  the  kingdoms  of  the  world 
shall  be  broken  in  pieces  :  John  says,  that  when  the  ever- 
lasting Gospel  has  been  restored  and  preached  to  th^  nations, 
that  then  is  '  the  hour  of  God's  judgment' — the  downfall  of 
Babylon.  Both  of  these  writers  beheld  the  same  great  events, 
but  described  them  in  different  language.  That  which  was 
predicted  by  those  two  inspired  men  is  now  being  fulfilled. 
The  angel  has  appeared — the  Gospel  is  restored — the  king- 
dom is  set  up — its  location  is  among  the  moutains,  and  shortly 
the  balance  of  these  predictions  will  also  be  fulfilled  to  the 
very  letter,  and  not  one  jot  or  tittle  shall  fail,  until  the  earth 


328  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

shall  rest  from  wickedness,  and  '  the  kingdoms  of  this  world 
become  the  kingdoms  of  our  God  and  his  Christ." 

But  the  great  proof  of  all,  according  to  the  believers  in 
Joseph  Smith  and  his  book,  is  derived  from  the  29th  chapter 
of  Isaiah,  and  his  prophecy  concerning  Ariel  therein  contain- 
ed, particularly  the  latter  part  of  the  second  verse — "  And  it 
shall  be  unto  me  as  Ariel."*  Taking  advantage  of  the  cur- 
rent translation,  which  seems  to  compare  by  the  word  "it," 
some  other  place  to  Ariel,  the  Mormon  writer  contends  that 
another  nation  than  Jerusalem,  suffering  similar  judgments 
is  intended.  The  rest  of  the  argument  must  be  taken  in  Mr. 
Orson  Pratt's  own  words  :  — 

"  In  the  three  following  verses,  the  Lord  describes  more 
fully  the  second  event ;  he  says,  '  And  I  will  camp  against 
thee  round  about,  and  will  lay  siege  against  thee  with  a 
mount,  and  I  will  raise  forts  against  thee.  And  thou  shalt 
be  brought  down,  and  shalt  speak  out  of  the  ground,  and 
thy  speech  shall  be  low  out  of  the  dust,  and  thy  voice  shall 
be  as  of  one  that  hath  a  familiar  spirit,  out  of  the  ground, 
and  thy  speech  shall  ichisper  out  of  the  dust.  Moreover, 
the  multitude  of  thy  strangers  shall  be  like  small  dust,  and 
the  multitude  of  the  terrible  ones  shall  be  as  chaff  that  passeth 
away  ;  yea,  it  shall  be  at  an  instant  suddenly.'  These  pre- 
dictions of  Isaiah  could  not  refer  to  Ariel,  or  Jerusalem,  be- 
cause their  speech  has  not  been  'out  of  the  ground,'  or  '  low 
out  of  the  dust,'  but  it  refers  to  the  remnant  of  Joseph  who 
were  destroyed  in  America  upwards  of  fourteen  hundred  years 
ago.  The  Book  of  Mormon  describes  their  downfall,  and 
truly  it  was  great  and  terrible.  At  the  crucifixion  of  Christ, 
'the  multitude  of  their  terrible  ones,'  as  Isaiah  predicted,  'be- 
came as  chafFthat  passed  away,'  and  it  took  place,  as  he 
further  predicts,   '  at   an  instant  suddenly.'     Many  of  their 

*  It  is  believed  that  the  correct  translation  of  the  passage  is,  "  And 
it  shall  indeed  be  an  Ariel  (a  stout  lion)  to  me,"  a  play  upon  the  name. 


THE    BOOK    OF   MORMON.  329 

great  and  magnificent  cities  were  destroyed  by  fire,  others  by 
earthquakes,  others  by  being  sunk  and  buried  in  the  depths 
of  the  earth.  The  sudden  destruction  came  upon  them  be- 
cause they  had  stoned  and  killed  the  prophets  sent  among 
them.  Between  three  and  four  hundred  years  after  Christ, 
they  again  fell  into  great  wickedness,  and  the  principal  nation 
fell  in  battle.  Forts  were  raised  in  all  parts  of  the  land,  the 
remains  of  which  may  be  seen  at  the  present  day.  Millions 
of  the  people  perished  in  battle,  and  they  suffered  just  as  the 
Lord  foretold  by  Isaiah,  "  And  I  will  camp  against  thee  round 
about,  and  will  lay  siege  against  thee  with  a  mount,  and  I 
will  raise  forts  against  thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  brought  down, 
and  shalt  speak  out  of  the  ground,'  &c.  This  remnant  of 
Joseph  in  their  distress  and  destruction,  became  unto  the  Lord 
AS  Ariel.  As  the  Roman  army  lay  siege  to  Ariel,  and 
brought  upon  her  great  distress  and  sorrow,  so  did  the  contend- 
ing nations  of  ancient  America  bring  upon  each  other  the  most 
direful  scenes  of  blood  and  carnage.  Therefore  the  Lord 
could,  with  the  greatest  propriety,  when  speaking  in  reference 
to  this  event,  declare  that  '  It  shall  be  unto  me  as  Ariel.' 

"  One  of  the  most  marvellous  things  connected  with  this 
prediction  is,  that  after  the  nation  should  be  brought  down,  they 
should  '  speak  out  of  the  ground.'  This  is  mentioned  or  repeated 
four  times  in  the  same  verse.  Never  was  a  prophecy  more 
truly  fulfilled  than  this,  in  the  coming  forth  of  the  Book  of 
Mormon.  Joseph  Smith  took  that  sacred  history  '  out  of  the 
ground.'  It  is  the  voice  of  the  ancient  prophets  of  America 
speaking  '  out  of  the  ground.'  Their  speech  '  is  low  out  of 
the  dust ;'  it  speaks  in  a  most  familiar  manner  of  the  doings 
of  bygone  ages  ;  it  is  the  voice  of  those  who  slumber  in  the 
dust.  It  is  the  voice  of  prophets  speaking  from  the  dead,  cry- 
ing repentance  in  the  ears  of  the  living.  In  what  manner 
could  a  nation,  after  they  were  brought  down  and  destroyed, 
'  speak  out  of  the  ground  ?'     Could  their  dead  bodies,  or  their 


330  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

dust,  or  their  ashes  speak  ?  Verily,  no  :  they  can  only  speak 
by  their  writings,  or  their  books  that  they  wrote  while  living. 
Their  voice,  or  speech,  or  words,  can  only  '  speak  out  of  the 
ground,'  or  '  whisper  out  of  the  dust,'  by  their  books  or  writings 
being  discovered.  Therefore,  Isaiah  further  says,  in  the 
eleventh  and  twelfth  verses,  '  And  the  vision  of  all  is  become 
unto  you  as  the  words  of  a  book  that  is  sealed,  which  men 
deliver  to  one  that  is  learned,  saying,  read  this,  I  pray  thee  ; 
and  he  saith,  I  cannot,  for  it  is  sealed  ;  and  the  book  is  delivered 
to  him  that  is  not  learned,  saying,  read  this,  I  pray  thee  ;  and 
he  saith,  I  am  not  learned.' 

'•  After  obtaining  the  Book  of  Mormon  through  the  minis- 
try of  the  angel  '  out  of  the  ground,'  Mr.  Smith  transcribed 
some  of  the  original  characters  upon  paper,  and  sent  them  by 
the  hands  of  Martin  Harris,  a  farmer,  to  the  city  of  New 
York,  where  they  were  presented  to  Professor  Anthcn,  a  man 
deeply  learned  in  both  ancient  and  modern  languages.  Mr. 
Harris  very  anxiously  requested  the  learned  professor  to  read 
it,  but  he  replied  that  he  could  not.  None  of  the  learned  have 
as  yet  been  able  to  decipher  the  characters  and  hieroglyphics 
which  are  found  among  the  ancient  ruins,  in  almost  every 
part  of  America.  The  written  language  of  Ancient  America 
is  a  sealed  language  to  this  generation." 

The  story  is  then  told  of  Professor  Antrum's  considering 
the  application  made  to  him  as  "  a  hoax,"  and  particularly 
because  of  the  "  singular  medley"  presented  by  the  alleged 
letters,  which  were  arranged  in  columns  like  the  Chinese 
mode  of  writing.  In  this  it  would  now  appear  that  Professor 
Anthon  judged  too  hastily.  Some  American  glyphs  dis- 
covered by  Professor  Rafinesque,  and  of  which  fac-similes 
were  given  in  his  Asiatic  Journal  for  1832  (two  years  after 
the  publication  of  the  Book  of  Mormon),  agree  very  much 
with  the  description  of  the  specimen  as  shown  to  him  by  the 
Mormon  emissary.     Thus,  we  are  told  by  Professor  Rafinesque 


THE    BOOK    OF    MORMON.  331 

that  "  the  glyphs  of  Otolum  are  written  from  top  to  bottom, 
like  the  Chinese,  or  from  side  to  side,  indifferently,  like  the 
Egyptian  and  the  Demotic  Lybian.  Although  the  most 
common  way  of  writing  the  groups  is  in  rows,  and  each 
group  separated,  yet  we  find  some  formed,  as  it  were,  in  ob- 
long squares  or  tablets,  like  those  of  Egypt."  The  glyphs 
found  by  the  Professor  in  Mexico,  were  arranged  in  columns, 
being  forty-six  in  number.  These  the  learned  professor  de- 
nominates "the  elements  of  the  glyphs  of  Otolum,"  and  he 
supposes  that  by  the  combination  of  these  elements,  words 
and  sentences  were  formed,  constituting  the  written  language 
of  the  ancient  nations  of  that  vast  continent.  By  an  inspec- 
tion of  the  fac-simile  of  these  forty-six  elementary  glyphs, 
we  find  all  the  particulars  which  Professor  Anthon  ascribes 
to  the  characters,  which,  he  says  Martin  Harris,  a  "  plain- 
looking  countryman"  presented  to  him.  The  "  Greek,  He- 
brew, and  all  sorts  of  letters,"  inverted  and  in  different  posi- 
tions, "  with  sundry  delineations  of  half-moons,"  planets, 
suns,  "  and  other  natural  objects,"  are  found  among  these 
forty-six  elements.  This  "  plain-looking  countryman,"  ac- 
cording to  Professor  Anthon's  testimony,  got,  says  Mr.  Orson 
Pratt,  "  some  three  or  four  years  the  start  of  Professor  Rafin- 
esque.  and  presented  him  with  the  genuine  elementary  glyphs 
years  before  the  Atlantic  Journal  made  them  public  ;  and  what 
is  still  more  remarkable,  '  the  characters,'  Professor  Anthon 
says,  '  were  arranged  in  columns,  like  the  Chinese  mode  of 
writing,'  which  exactly  corresponds  with  what  Professor 
Rafinesque  testifies,  as  quoted  above,  in  relation  to  the  glyphs 
of  Otolum.  We  see  nothing  in  Professor  Anthon's  statement 
that  proves  the  characters  presented  to  him  to  be  a  '  hoax,' 
as  he  terms  it ;  unless,  indeed,  he  considers  their  exact  re- 
semblance to  the  glyphs  of  Otolum,  and  their  being  arranged 
in  the  right  kind  of  columns,  is  a  '  hoax.'  But,  as  Joseph 
Smith  was   an  unlearned  young  man,  living  in  the  country, 


332  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

where  he  had  not  access  to  the  writings  and  discoveries  of 
antiquarians,  he  would  be  entirely  incapable  of  forging  the 
true  and  genuine  glyphs  of  ancient  America  ;  therefore  we 
consider  this  testimony  of  Professor  Anthon,  coming  as  it 
does  from  an  avowed  enemy  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  to  be 
a  great  collateral  evidence  in  its  favor.  Professor  Rafmesque 
says,  as  we  have  already  quoted,  that  '  the  glyphs  of  Otolum 
are  written  from  top  to  bottom,  like  the  Chinese,  or  from 
side  to  side,  indifferently,  like  the  Egyptian.'  Now  the 
most  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  was  written  from  side  to  side, 
like  the  Egyptian.  Indeed,  it  was  written  in  the  ancient 
Egyptian,  reformed  by  the  remnant  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph." 

Other  glyphs  have  since  been  found,  as  we  learn  from  the  fol- 
lowing statement  which  appeared  in  the  Times  and  Seasons : — 

"On  the  16th  of  April,  1843,  a  respectable  merchant,  by  the 
name  of  Robert  Wiley,  commenced  digging  in  a  large  mound  near 
this  place ;  he  excavated  to  the  depth  of  ten  feet,  and  came  to  rock. 
About  that  time  the  rain  began  to  fall,  and  he  abandoned  the  work. 
On  the  23d,  he  and  quite  a  number  of  the  citizens,  with  myself,  re- 
paired to  the  mound,  and  after  making  ample  opening,  we  found 
plenty  of  rock,  the  most  of  which  appeared  as  though  it  had  been 
strongly  burned ;  and  after  removing  full  two  feet  of  said  rock,  we 
found  plenty  of  charcoal  and  ashes,  also  human  bones,  that  appeared 
as  though  they  had  been  burned ;  and  near  the  eciphalon  a  bundle 
was  found  that  consisted  of  Six  Plates  of  Brass,  of  a  bell  shape, 
each  having  a  hole  near  the  small  end,  and  a  ring  through  them  all, 
and  clasped  with  two  clasps.  The  ring  and  clasps  appeared  to  be 
iron,  very  much  oxidated  :  the  plates  first  appeared  to  be  copper, 
and  had  the  appearance  of  being  covered  with  characters.  It  was 
agreed  by  the  company  that  I  should  cleanse  the  plates.  Accord- 
ingly, I  took  them  to  my  house,  washed  them  with  soap  and  water, 
and  a  woollen  cloth ;  but  finding  them  not  yet  cleansed,  I  treated 
them  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid,  which  made  them  perfectly  clean, 
on  which  it  appeared  that  they  were  completely  covered  with  char- 
acters, that  none,  as  yet,  have  been  able  to  read.  Wishing  that  the 
world  might  know  the  hidden  things  as  fast  as  they  come  to  light, 


ANCIENT    GLYPHS.  333 

I  was  induced  to  state  the  facts,  hoping  that  you  would  give  them 
an  insertion  in  your  excellent  paper,  for  we  all  feel  anxious  to 
know  the  true  meaning  of  the  plates  ;  and  publishing  the  facts  might 
lead  to  the  true  translation.  They  were  found,  I  judge,  more  than 
twelve  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  top  of  the  mound. 

"  I  am,  most  respectfully,  a  citizen  of  Kinderhook, 

«  W.  P.  Harris,  M.D." 

The  following  certificate  was  forwarded  for  publication  at 
the  same  time  : 

"  We,  citizens  of  Kinderhook,  whose  names  are  annexed,  do  cer- 
tify and  declare,  that  on  the  23d  of  April,  1843,  while  excavating 
a  large  mound  in  this  vicinity,  Mr.  Wiley  took  from  said  mound  six 
brass  plates,  of  a  bell-shape,  covered  with  ancient  characters.  Said 
plates  were  very  much  oxidated.  The  bands  and  rings  on  said 
plates  mouldered  into  dust  on  a  slight  pressure. 

"  Robert  Wiley.  G.  W.  F.  Ward.     Fayette  Grubb. 

George  Dickenson.      J.  R.  Sharp.  W.  P.  Harris. 

W.  LONGNECKER.  IRA  S.  CURTIS.  W.  FuGATE." 

"We  have  now  to  do  with  the  manner  in  which  the  Mor- 
mons apply  the  supposed  possession  of  some  such  plates  as 
these  by  Joseph  Smith  to  Isaiah's  prophecy  respecting  Ariel, 
as  interpreted  by  the  Latter-Day  Saints  in  their  own  favor. 
We  therefore  proceed  with  Mv.  Orson  Pratt's  statement : — 

"Isaiah  says,  as  we  have  already  quoted,  that  'the  vision 
of  all  is  become  unto  you  as  the  words  of  a  book  that  is  sealed, 
which  men  deliver  to  one  that  is  learned,  saying,  read  this,  I 
pray  thee  ;  and  he  saith,  I  cannot  for  it  is  sealed.'  Mark 
this  prediction  ;  the  Book  itself  was  not  to  be  delivered  to  the 
learned,  but  only  'the  words  of  a  Book  ;'  this  was  literally 
fulfilled  in  the  event  which  has  already  been  described,  as 
clearly  testified  of,  not  only  by  the  '  plain-looking  country- 
man,' namely,  Martin  Harris,  but  by  the  learned  Professor 
Anthon  himself. 

"But  Isaiah  informs  us,  in  the  next  verse  (12),  that  the 
book  itself  shall  be  delivered  to  the  unlearned.     He  says, 


336  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

any  more  than  the  words  of  the  sealed  Book  were  understood 
by  the  learned.  When  the  events  of  Scripture  prophecy  are  so 
clearly  fulfilled  before  their  eyes,  they  will  not  even  then  per- 
ceive it ;  when  the  wisdom  of  the  wise  and  learned  perishes, 
and  a  *  marvellous  work,  and  a  wonder'  is  performed,  in  caus- 
ing the  unlearned  to  read  the  Book,  the  nations  will  not  take 
it  to  heart ;  though,  as  Isaiah  says,  they  will '  stay  themselves 
and  wonder,'  and  'cry  out  and  cry,'  because  of  the  Book 
which  '  speaks  out  of  the  ground,'  yet,  because  they  are 
drunken  with  every  species  of  wickedness  and  abominations, 
and  because  they  *  draw  near  to  the  Lord  with  their  mouths 
and  with  their  lips,'  while  their  hearts  are  removed  far  from 
him,  and  because  they  are  taught  by  the  precepts  of  men 
they  will  reject  it,  and  in  so  doing,  they  will  reject  the  Lord's 
great  and  last  warning  message  to  man,  and  bring  upon  them- 
selves swift  destruction.  Because  they  despise  so  great  a 
work,  they  '  shall  be  visited,'  as  Isaiah  says,  '  with  storm  and 
tempest,'  and  '  earthquakes,'  and  '  the  flame  of  devouring  fire.' 
"  As  another  evidence  that  the  Book  of  which  Isaiah  speaks, 
was  to  come  forth  in  the  latter  times,  he  says,  in  the  seven- 
teenth verse,  '  Is  it  not  yet  a  very  little  while,  and  Lebanon 
shall  be  turned  into  a  fruitful  field,  and  the  fruitful  field  shall 
be  esteemed  as  the  forest  ?  Eighteenth  verse  :  '  And  in  that 
day  shall  the  deaf  hear  the  words  of  the  Book,  and  the  eyes 
of  the  blind  shall  see  out  of  obscurity,  and  out  of  darkness.' 
This  Book  could  not  mean  the  New  Testament,  for  when 
that  was  written,  it  was  about  the  time  that  Lebanon  was  to 
be  forsaken  by  the  Jews,  and  become  a  desolation,  a  forest  or 
wilderness,  for  many  generations.  '  Upon  -the  land  of  my 
people  shall  come  up  thorns  and  briers'  (Isaiah,  xxxii.  13). 
Hence,  the  land  of  Palestine,  which  includes  Lebanon,  was, 
when  the  New  Testament  was  written,  about  to  be  cursed. 
But  immediately  after  the  unlearned  should  read  the  Book, 
1  Lebanon  shall  be  turned  into  a  fruitful  field,  and  the  fruit- 


THE    PROPHECY    OF    ISAIAH.  337 

ful  fieJd  shall  be  esteemed  as  the  forest.'  The  Book,  there- 
fore, that  Isaiah  prophesies  of,  is  to  come  forth  just  before  the 
great  day  of  the  restoration  of  Israel  to  their  own  lands  ;  at 
which  time  Lebanon,  and  all  the  land  of  Canaan,  is  again  to 
be  blessed,  while  the  fruitful  field,  occupied  by  the  nations  of 
the  Gentiles,  '  will  be  esteemed  as  a  forest ;'  the  multitude  of 
the  nations  of  the  Gentiles  are  to  perish,  and  their  lands, 
which  are  now  like  a  fruitful  field,  are  to  be  left  desolate  of 
inhabitants,  and  become  as  Lebanon  has  been  for  many  gene- 
rations past ;  while  Lebanon  shall  again  be  occupied  by 
Israel,  and  be  turned  into  a  fruitful  field.  These  great  events 
could  not  take  place  until  the  Lord  should  first  bring  forth  a 
book  out  of  the  ground. 

"  '  And,  in  that  clay,  shall  the  deaf  hear  the  wards  of  the 
Book.'  This  has  already  been  literally  fulfilled.  Those  who 
were  so  deaf  that  they  could  not  hear  the  loudest  sound,  have 
had  their  ears  opened  to  hear  the  glorious  and  most  precious 
words  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  it  has  been  done  by  the 
power  of  God  and  not  of  man.  '  And  the  eyes  of  the  blind 
shall  see  out  of  obscurity  and  out  of  darkness.  This  has  also 
been  literally  fulfilled,  as  abundantly  testified  of  in  the  fifth 
number  of  this  series.  '  The  meek  also  shall  increase  their 
joy  in  the  Lord.'  Now,  during  the  long  night  of  darkness, 
there  have  been  some  humble  meek  persons,  who  have  had  a 
degree  of  light ;  but  as  the  Church  of  Christ  Jiad  fled  from 
the  earth,  there  was  no  one  that  had  authority  to  baptize  or 
administer  the  ordinances  of  the  Gospel  to  those  meek  per- 
sons ;  therefore,  their  joy  was  very  imperfect  :  but  Isaiah 
says,  when  the  Book  is  revealed,  '  the  meek  shall  increase 
their  joy  in  the  Lord.'  This  is  what  the  Book  is  calculated 
to  produce  ;  for  by  its  contents  the  meek  learn  that  the  time 
is  at  hand  for  them  to  inherit  the  earth,  according  to  the 
blessing  of  our  Saviour  on  the  mount  :  '  Blessed  are  the  meek, 
for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth.'     This  will  be  fulfilled  after 

22 


338  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

all  the  wicked  nations  are  destroyed.  '  And  the  poor  among 
men  shall  rejoice  in  the  Holy  One  of  Israel.'  This  also  is 
promised  as  a  result  of  the  revelation  of  the  Book,  and  the 
means  by  which  it  is  to  be  effected  is  by  a  general  overthrow 
of  the  wicked ;  as,  says  Isaiah,  '  For  the  terrible  one  is 
brought  to  nought,  and  the  scorner  is  consumed,  and  all  that 
watch  for  iniquity  are  cut  off;  that  make  a  man  an  offender 
for  a  word,  and  lay  a  snare  for  him  that  reproveth  in  the 
gate,  and  turn  aside  the  just  for  a  thing  of  nought.'  0  how 
plainly  it  is  declared  that  judgment  was  soon  to  fall  upon  all 
the  wicked  after  the  appearance  of  this  Book — this  marvellous 
work  and  a  wonder  !  And  0  how  plainly  it  is  also  declared 
that  the  deaf,  the  blind,  the  meek,  and  the  poor  among  men 
were  to  be  greatly  benefited  by  the  Book  !" 

But  the  prophetic  argument  of  the  Mormons  has  wider 
ramifications.  Not  alone  Isaiah,  but  Ezekiel,  is  produced  as 
a  witness : — 

"  We  have  already  shown  from  Isaiah  that  the  house  of 
Jacob  never  could  be  restored,  until  God  should  bring  forth  a 
Book,  and  that,  too,  'out  of  the  ground  ;'  and,  until  the  deaf 
should  hear  the  words  of  it.  It  will  next  be  shown  from  the 
testimony  of  Ezekiel,  that  the  Book  which  is  to  perform  so 
great  a  work  for  Israel,  was  really  and  truly  to  be  a  record 
of  Joseph.  Ezekiel  says  (xxxvii.),  ■  The  Word  of  the  Lord 
came  again  unto  me,  saying,  Moreover,  thou  son  of  man,  take 
thee  one  stick,  and  write  upon  it,  for  Judah,  and  for  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel,  his  companions  ;  then  take  another  stick,  and 
write  upon  it,  for  Joseph  the  stick  of  Ephraim,  and  for  all  the 
house  of  Israel,  his  companions  :  and  join  them  one  to  another 
into  one  stick,  and  they  shall  become  one  in  thine  hand.  And 
when  the  children  of  thy  people  shall  speak  unto  thee,  saying, 
wilt  thou  not  show  us  what  thou  meanest  by  these  ?  Say 
unto  them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  Behold,  I  will  take  the 
stick  of  Joseph  which  is  (shall  be)  in  the  hand  of  Ephraim, 


THE    PROPHECY    OF   EZEKIEL.  339 

and  the  tribes  of  Israel  his  fellows,  and  will  put  them  with 
him,  even  with  the  stick  of  Judah,  and  make  them  one  stick, 
and  they  shall  be  one  in  mine  hand.  And  the  sticks  whereon 
thou  writest  shall  be  in  thine  hand  before  their  eyes. 

"It  was  customary  in  ancient  days  to  write  upon  parch- 
ment, and  roll  the  same  upon  sticks,  and  such  reading-sticks 
or  rolls  were  called  books.  All  the  prophecies  of  Jeremiah, 
from  the  days  of  Josiah  down  to  the  fourth  year  of  Jehoikim 
were  written  in  one  of  these  rolls  (Jeremiah,  xxxvi.  1,  2). 
This  *  roll'  of  the  writings  of  Jeremiah,  is  called  a  '  book'  in 
the  8th,  10th,  11th,  and  13th  verses:  hence,  the  terms  roll 
and  book  are  synonymous.  If,  then,  a  reading-stick  or  roll, 
containing  writings,  is  called  a  '  book,'  we  can  all  understand 
the  meaning  of  the  word  of  the  Lord  to  Ezekiel :  it  was  a 
clear  and  beautiful  representation  of  the  union  of  two  books 
in  the  hand  of  the  Lord.  Ezekiel  was  commanded  first,  to 
write  upon  one  stick,  'for  Judah  and  for  the  children  of  Is- 
rael his  companions'  This  was  a  representation  of  the  Bible, 
which  is  the  record  of  Judah.  '  Then  take  another  stick,  and 
write  upon  it,  for  Joseph,  the  stick  of  Ephraim,  and  for  all 
the  house  of  Israel  his  companions'  This  was  a  representa- 
tion of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  which  is  the  record  of  Joseph 
written  in  ancient  America.  '  And  join  them  one  to  another 
into  one  stick,  and  they  shall  become  07ie  in  thine  hand.'  This 
was  a  representation  of  the  union  of  the  records  of  the  two 
nations.  In  the  interpretation  of  the  meaning  of  the  two 
sticks,  the  Lord  says  that  He  himself  '  will  take  the  stick  of 
Joseph'  and  put  it  '  with  the  stick  of  Judah.'  Therefore,  we 
learn  by  this  that  the  stick  of  Joseph  was  not  found  united 
with  the  stick  of  Judah  by  accident,  but  it  was  a  work  which 
the  Lord  himself  should  perform.  Hence,  he  further  says, 
'  They  shall  be  one  in  mine  hand.'  Therefore,  the  two  writ- 
ings becoming  one  in  Ezekiel's  hand,  was  a  most  beautiful 


340  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

representation  of  the  two  writings  which  should  become  one 
in  the  Lord's  hand. 

"  Having  learned  by  Ezekiel  that  the  Lord  God  will  take 
the  stick  of  Joseph,  and  put  it  with  the  stick  of  Judah,  and 
make  them  one  in  his  hand  ;  let  us  next  inquire,  what  events 
are  to  follow  the  union  of  these  two  writings.  The  Lord 
further  declares,  '  And  the  stick  whereon  thou  writest  shall 
be  in  thine  hand  before  their  eyes.  And  say  unto  them,  Thus 
saith  the  Lord  God,  Behold,  I  will  take  the  children  of  Israel 
from  among  the  heathen,  whither  they  be  gone,  and  will 
gather  them  on  every  side,  and  bring  them  into  their  own 
land,  and  I  will  make  them  one  nation  in  the  land  upon  the 
mountains  of  Israel ;  and  one  king  shall  be  king  to  them  all ; 
and  they  shall  be  no  more  two  nations,  neither  shall  they  be 
divided  into  two  kingdoms  any  more  at  all :  neither  shall  they 
defile  themselves  any  more  with  their  idols,  nor  with  their 
detestable  things,  nor  with  any  of  their  transgressions ;  but  I 
will  save  them  out  of  all  their  dwelling-places,  wherein  they 
have  sinned,  and  will  cleanse  them  :  so  that  they  be  my  peo- 
ple, and  I  will  be  their  God.'  We  learn  from  this,  that  the 
great  object  the  Lord  has  in  view,  in  bringing  forth  the  book 
of  Joseph,  and  uniting  it  with  the  Bible,  is  to  gather  Israel 
never  more  to  be  scattered.  Thus  we  see  that  both  Isaiah 
and  Ezekiel  have  spoken  of  the  same  great  and  marvellous 
events  ;  one  declares  that  the  house  of  Jacob  should  never 
again  '  wax  pale'  or  '  be  made  ashamed'  in  the  day  that  a 
certain  book  should  make  its  appearance  ;  the  other  declares, 
that  the  whole  house  of  Israel  should  be  restored  to  their  own 
lands,  and  should  never  again  be  divided  into  two  nations,  in 
the  day  that  the  Lord  should  put  the  writings  of  Joseph  with 
the  writings  of  Judah.  Take  the  testimony  of  Isaiah  and 
Ezekiel  in  connection  with  the  testimony  of  Moses,  concerning 
the  '  precious  things  of  heaven,'  which  should  be  given  on  the 
land  of  Joseph,  and  join  this  with  the  testimony  of  John  con- 


MORMON  CHARGES  AGAINST  ALL  CHRISTIAN  CHURCHES.       341 

cerning  the  restoration  of  the  Gospel  by  an  angel,  and  the 
testimony  of  Daniel  concerning  the  stone  cut  from  the  moun- 
tain without  hands,  representing  the  latter-day  kingdom  of 
God,  and  we  have  by  a  combination  of  all  these  testimonies, 
prophetic  evidences  of  the  divine  authenticity  of  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  which  should  convince  the  most  incredulous,  and 
destroy  Atheism  out  of  existence." 

Such  is  the  argument  of  the  great  Mormon  Apostle  !  Af- 
ter all,  however,  it  is  designed  exclusively  for  the  profane. 
He  himself  needs  it  not  ;  he  has  higher,  more  immediate  evi- 
dence.— This  ! 

"  And  I  now  bear  my  humble  testimony  to  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth,  who  shall  read  this  series  of  pamphlets,  that  the 
Book  of  Mormon  is  a  divine  revelation,  for  the  voice  of  the 
Lord  hath  declared  it  unto  me." 

But  we  must  proceed,  however,  with  our  abstract  of  the 
theology  of  the  Mormons,  as  it  has  grown  out  of  and  upon  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  as  invented  by  Joseph  Smith  ;  and  as  it  has 
been  developed  by  the  acuter  men,  such  as  Orson  Pratt,  who 
succeeded  him  in  the  management  of  the  sect. 

For  the  last  fourteen  hundred  years,  according  to  the  per- 
suasion of  the  Mormon,  the  Church  has  been  in  a  state  of 
suspended  animation.  Mr.  Orson  Pratt,  too,  would  prove  the 
allegation  out  of  the  mouths  of  Christian  controversialists 
themselves.  "  We  believe,"  he  states,  in  "  Remarkable 
Visions,  No.  6."  "  that  there  has  been  a  general  and  awful 
apostasy  from  the  religion  of  the  New  Testament,  so  that  all 
the  known  world  have  been  left  for  centuries  without  the 
Church  of  Christ  among  them  ;  without  a  priesthood  author- 
ized of  God  to  administer  ordinances  ;  that  every  one  of  the 
churches  has  perverted  the  gospel ;  some  in  one  way,  and 
some  in  another.  For  instance,  almost  every  church  has  done 
away  '  immersion  for  remission  of  sins.'  Those  who  have 
practised  it  for  remission  of  sins,  have  done  away  the  ordinance 


342  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

of  the  '  laying  on  of  hands'  upon  baptized  believers  for  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Again,  the  few  who  have  practised 
the  last  ordinance  have  perverted  the  first,  or  have  done  away 
the  ancient  gifts,  powers,  and  blessings,  which  flow  from  the 
Holy  Spirit,  or  have  said  to  inspired  apostles  and  prophets,  we 
have  no  need  of  you  in  the  body  in  these  days.  Those  few, 
again,  who  have  believed  in,  and  contended  for,  the  miracu- 
lous gifts  and  powers  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  have  perverted  the 
ordinances  or  done  them  away.  Thus  all  the  churches 
preach  false  doctrines  and  pervert  the  gospel,  and  instead  of 
having  authority  from  God  to  administer  its  ordinances,  they 
are  under  the  curse  of  God  for  perverting  it." 

In  corroboration  of  these  views,  we  are  reminded  that 
Protestants  charge  on  the  churches  of  Rome  and  Greece  the 
sin  of  apostasy,  and  Roman  Catholics  have  charged  with  her- 
esy all  reformed  churches  ; — mutual  recriminations  which  in- 
volve the  predicated  period  of  fourteen  hundred  years  in  the 
charge  brought  against  it  by  the  Mormon  prophet.  Mr. 
Pratt,  indeed,  in  his  "  Divine  Authenticity  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon," boldly  declares,  that  "  the  whole  Romish,  Greek,  and 
Protestant  Ministry,  from  the  Pope  down,  through  every  grade 
of  office,  are  as  destitute  of  authority  from  God,  as  the  Devil 
and  his  angels."  And  this  state  of  things  (he  says),  was 
prophesied  by  Paul,  in  the  memorable  words,  that  "  the  day 
of  Christ  shall  not  come,  except  there  come  a  falling  away 
first,"  and  by  other  apostles  in  many  texts  of  Scripture. 
The  Mormons  admit  that  the  churches  which  have  existed 
from  the  first  century  "  have  all  had  a  form  of  godliness,  while 
denying  the  power  ;  and  they  yet  stand  in  the  same  predica- 
ment.*' 

"  Such,"  says  Mr.  Pratt,  in  the  work  just  alluded  to,  "  such 
was  to  be  the  religion  of  the  latter  ages,  as  prophetically  de- 
scribed by  the  ancient  apostles  ;  and  such  is  the  religion  of 
the  Papal,  Greek,  and  Protestant  churches  of  the  nineteenth 


ORSON    PRATT    ON    THE    CHRISTIAN    MINISTRY.  343 

century.  The  predictions  were  uttered  eighteen  centuries 
ago,  and  modern  Christendom  exhibits  a  most  perfect  fulfil- 
ment. Instead  of  having  apostles,  prophets,  and  other  in- 
spired men  in  the  church  now,  receiving  visions,  dreams,  reve- 
lations, ministry  of  angels,  and  prophecies  for  the  calling  of 
officers,  and  for  the  government  of  the  church, — they  have  a 
wicked,  corrupt,  uninspired  pope,  or  uninspired  archbishop, 
bishops,  clergymen,  &c,  who  have  a  great  variety  of  corrupt 
forms  of  Godliness,  but  utterly  deny  the  gift  of  revelation, 
and  every  other  miraculous  power  which  always  characterized 
Christ's  Church.  These  man-made,  powerless,  hypocritical 
false  teachers,  '  make  merchandise  of  the  people,'  by  preach- 
ing for  large  salaries,  amounting  in  many  instances  to  tens  of 
thousands  of  pounds  sterling  annually.  They  and  their  de- 
luded followers  are  reprobate  concerning  the  faith  once  de- 
livered to  the  Saints.  The  faith  which  once  quenched  the 
violence  of  fire,  stopped  the  mouths  of  lions,  divided  waters, 
and  controlled,  the  powers  of  nature,  is  discarded  as  unneces- 
sary. The  faith  that  inspired  men  with  the  gift  of  revelation 
— that  opened  the  heavens  and  laid  hold  on  mysteries  that 
were  not  lawful  to  be  uttered — that  unfolded  the  visions  of 
the  past  and  future — and  that  ealled  down  the  angels  of 
heaven  to  eat  and  drink  with  men  on  earth, — is  denied  as  be- 
ing attainable  in  this  age.  The  sound  doctrine  taught  by  the 
apostles  which  put  mankind  in  the  possession  of  these  glorious 
gifts  and  powers  cannot  now  be  endurecL  The  doctrines, 
commands.,  fables,  traditions,  and  creeds,  of  uninspired  men, 
are  now  substituted  in  the  place  of  direct  inspiration  from 
God.  '  They  are  ever  learning,  but  are  never  able  to  come 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,'  Guess-work,  conjecture, 
opinion,  and,  perhaps,  in  some  instances,  a  belief  in  regard  to 
the  truth,  are  all  that  they  attain  to,  while  a  knowledge  they 
do  not  obtain,  because  they  deny  new  revelation  the  only 
means  of  obtaining  it.     This  great  multitude  of  false  teachers 


344  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

who  have  found  their  way  into  all  nations,  deceiving  millions, 
'  resist  the  truth,'  contend  against  the  miraculous  powers  of 
the  gospel,  and  reject  inspired  men,  as  '  Jannes  and  Jambres' 
— the  magicians,  did  Moses  ;  but  '  their  folly  shall  be  made 
manifest  unto  all  men,  as  their's  also  was  ;'  yea,  all  nations 
shall  see  the  righteous  judgments  which  shall  speedily  be  ex- 
ecuted upon  them,  for  they  shall,  like  Pharaoh's  host,  perish 
quickly  from  the  earth." 

Pursuing  this  course  of  logic,  in  connection  with  the  evi- 
dence of  history  Mr.  Orson  Pratt  argues  that  it  is  neither  uti- 
scriptural  nor  unreasonable  to  expect  more  revelation  ;  and 
that,  in  fact,  more 'revelation  is  necessary.  This,  however,  is 
an  argument  in  behalf  of  modern  visions  and  prophesyings, 
and  but  little  in  favor  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  which,  like 
the  Scriptures  in  general,  deals  with  the  past,  not  with  the 
present.  And  this,  as  we  have  before  remarked,  is  the  main 
proposition  about  which  the  Mormon  advocate  is  solicitous. 
That  proposition  he  uses  both  negatively  and  affirmatively. 
Negatively,  as  against  all  churches  preceding  his  own : — e.  g. 

"  As  the  Church  of  England  and  other  Protestants  do  not 
profess  to  have  received  any  new  commission  by  revelation, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  require  their  followers  to  reject  every- 
thing of  the  kind,  it  may  be  asked,  how  did  they  get  their 
authority  ?  It  will  be  replied,  that  they  received  it  from 
Wickliffe,  Cranmer,  Luther,  Calvin,  and  various  other  dissent- 
ers from  the  Papal  Church.  But  where  did  those  dissenters 
get  theirs  from  ?  They  answer,  from  the  Roman  Catholics. 
But  the  Catholics  excommunicated  them  as  heretics  ;  and 
surely  if  they  had  power  to  impart  authority,  they  had  power 
Lo  take  it  away.  Therefore,  if  the  Romish  Church  had  any 
authority,  the  Protestants,  being  excommunicated,  can  hold 
none  from  that  source.  But  if  the  Catholics  hold  authority, 
they  must  be  the  true  church,  and  consequently  the  Protes- 
tants must  be  apostates ;  but  on  the  other  hand,  if  the  Cath- 


ORSON    PRATT    ON   THE    CHRISTIAN    MINISTRY.  345 

olics  are  not  the  true  church,  they  can  have  no  authority 
themselves,  and  therefore  could  not  impart  any  to  others. 
Now  the  Church  of  England  states  in  one  of  her  homilies, 
'  that  laity  and  clergy,  learned  and  unlearned,  men  and  ivo- 
men  and  children  of  all  ages,  sects,  and  degrees,  of  Whole 
Christendom,  leave  been  at  once  buried  in  the  most  Abom- 
inable Idolatry  {a  most  dreadful  thing  to  think),  and  that 
for  the  space  of  eight  hundred  years  or  more.'  Wesley 
in  his  94th  sermon  states  the  same  in  substance  ;  he  says, 
'  The  real  cause  why  the  extraordinary  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
were  no  longer  to  be  found  in  the  Christian  Church,  was, 
because  the  Christians  ivere  turned  heathens  again,  and  had 
only  a  dead  form  left.''  If,  then,  the  '  whole  of  Christendom  ' 
without  one  exception,  have  been  '  buried  in  the  most  abom- 
inable idolatry  for  upwards  of  eight  hundred  years/  as  the 
Church  of  England  declares,  and  if  they,  because  they  are 
destitute  of  the  gifts,  are  not  even  now  Christians,  but  heath- 
ens as  Wesley  asserts,  we  ask  where  the  authority  was  dur- 
ing the  eight  hundred  years,  and  where  is  it  now  ?  Surely 
God  would  not  recognize  '  the  most  abominable  idolaters,'  as 
holding  authority  ;  if  so,  the  authority  of  the  worshippers  of 
Juggernaut  must  be  as  valid  as  that  of  idolatrous  Christen- 
dom. But  the  idolatry  of  'the  whole  of  Christendom'  must 
have  been  more  corrupt,  according  to  the  Church  of  England, 
than  that  of  other  idolaters  ;  for  they  call  it  '  the  'most  abom- 
inable idolatry,''  and  most  positively  declare  that  there  was 
no  exception  of  either  clergy  or  laity — of  either  man,  woman, 
or  child — all  were  buried  in  it.  This  being  the  case,  (and 
we  feel  no  disposition  to  dispute  it,)  there  could  have  been  no 
possible  channel  on  the  whole  earth  through  which  authority 
could  have  been  transferred  from  the  apostles  to  our  day. 
Therefore,  as  Wesley  says,  al]  Christendom  are,  sure  enough, 
'  heathens]  having  no  more  authority  nor  power  than  the 
idolatrous  pagans.     If,  then,  the  '  whole  of  Christendom'  have 


'3  A  6  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

been  without  authority  and  power  '  for  eight  hundred  years 
and  upwards,'  we  ask,  when  was  the  authority  restored?  how 
was  it  restored  ?  and  to  what  man  or  people  was  it  restored  ? 
It  could  not  have  been  restored  to  the  papal  churches,  for 
they  do  not  profess  that  any  such  restoration  has  been  made 
to  them  ;  it  could  not  have  been  restored  to  the  Church  of 
England  and  other  Protestants,  for  they  do  not  admit  of  any 
later  revelation  than  the  New  Testament ;  consequently  their 
own  admissions  prove  most  clearly  that  the  whole  of  Chris- 
tendom are  without  an  authorized  ministry  :  therefore  it  is 
indispensably  necessary  that  more  revelation  should  be  given 
to  restore  the  authority  to  the  earth  and  call  men  to  the  min- 
istry again,  as  in  ancient  days." 

The  Mormon  writer  uses  the  same  proposition  affirmatively 
as  justifying  the  creation  and  ordination  of  official  persons  in 
the  new  church  of  Latter-Day  Saints.  Revelation,  he  says,  is 
also  necessary  to  point  out  their  duties.  "  Without  continued 
revelation  the  officers  of  the  church  can  do  nothing."  "  The 
apostles,  and  Jesus  Christ  himself,  were  under  the  same  ne- 
cessity in  their  time."  Peter  himself  was  one  "  of  those 
visionary  characters  so  much  despised  by  modern  religionists." 

So  far  the  philosophical  historian  may  recognize  in  these 
Mormon  doctrines  the  spirit  of  reaction  against  that  ultra 
Protestant  opposition  to  mysticism  of  which  Luther  set  the 
example.  We  therefore  cannot  do  better  than  sum  up  the 
entire  argument  in  the  words  of  its  clever  though  mistaken 
advocate. 

"  New  revelation  is  the  very  life  and  soul  of  the  religion  of 
heaven, — that  it  is  indispensably  necessary  for  the  calling  of 
all  officers  in  the  church, — that  without  it,  the  officers  can 
never  be  instructed  in  the  various  duties  of  their  callings, — 
that  where  the  spirit  of  revelation  does  not  exist,  the  church 
cannot  be  comforted  and  taught  in  all  wisdom  and  knowl- 
edge,— cannot  be  properly  reproved  and  chastened  according 


RELIGIOUS    ASPECT    OF    MORMONISM.  34*7 

to  the  mind  of  God, — cannot  obtain  promise  for  themselves, 
but  are  dependent  upon  the  promises  made  through  the  an- 
cients. Without  new  revelation  the  people  are  like  a  blind 
man  groping  his  way  in  total  darkness,  not  knowing  the 
dangers  that  beset  his  path.  Without  prophets  and  revela- 
tors,  darkness  hangs  over  the  future, — no  city,  people,  or 
nation,  understand  what  awaits  them.  Without  new  revela- 
tion, no  people  know  of  the  approaching  earthquake — of  the 
deadly  plague — of  the  terrible  war — of  the  withering  famine 
— and  of  the  fearful  judgments  of  the  Almighty  which  hang 
over  their  devoted  heads.  When  the  voice  of  living  prophets 
and  apostles  are  no  longer  heard  in  the  land — there  is  an  end 
of  perfecting  and  edifying  the  saints — there  is  a  speedy  end 
to  the  '  work  of  the  ministry' — there  is  an  end  to  the  obtain- 
ing of  that  knowledge  so  necessary  to  eternal  life — there  is 
an  end  to  all  that  is  great,  and  grand,  and  glorious,  pertain- 
ing to  the  religion  of  heaven — there  is  an  end  to  the  very 
existence  of  the  church  of  Christ  on  the  earth — there  is  an 
end  to  salvation  in  the  celestial  kingdom/' 

From  this  statement,  the  dogma  that  "  the  Bible  and  tra- 
dition, without  further  revelation,  are  an  insufficient  guide," 
naturally  follows  as  a  corollary.  Some  of  the  illustrations  of 
this  insufficiency  are  pregnant  of  suggestion.  For  instance, 
has  the  following  any  connection  with  the  spiritual  wife  doc- 
trine, which,  notwithstanding  many  denials,  we  are  bound, 
on  the  authority  of  Mr.  Kelly  and  many  other  persons,  to  be- 
lieve to  be  practised  by  at  least  some  of  the  Mormons. 

"  There  are  many  things  practised  by  both  Romish  and 
Protestant  churches  which  the  Scriptures  do  not  clearly  re- 
veal, therefore  they  must  both  of  them  consider  that  the 
Scriptures  are  not  a  sufficient  guide.  We  are  informed  in 
Scripture  that  marriage  is  ordained  of  God,  but  we  are  not 
informed  in  Scripture  who  has  the  right  to  officiate  in  this 
ceremony.     Who  can  tell  from  the  New  Testament  anything 


348  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

about  the  order  to  be  observed  in  relation  to  this  subject  ? 
We  read  that  'what  God  hath  joined  together  let  no  man 
put  asunder?'  but  through  what  particular  office  does  God 
join  together  the  sexes  in  matrimony  ?  Can  laymen  offici- 
ate ?  Can  those  out  of  the  church  officiate  ?  Can  a  wo- 
man officiate  ?  Can  the  parties  join  themselves  together  in 
matrimony,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  ?  Who  can  answer 
these  questions  from  the  Bible  alone  ?  No  one.  The  Bible 
does  not  guide  the  church  in  this  important  ordinance." 

Similar  questions  are  asked  in  the  same  manner  as  to  all 
other  ordinances  of  the  church,  baptism,  confirmation,  the 
Eucharist,  ordination,  &c,  with  similar  result.  The  writer 
then  condescends  to  be  jocose  ;  and  asks, 

"  Furthermore,  where  in  the  Bible  does  it  say  that  the 
king  and  people  of  England  ought  to  revolt  from  the  Romish 
Church,  and  form  a  church  of  their  own  by  act  of  parlia- 
ment ?  If  the  Bible  were  a  sufficient  guide,  why  was  an 
act  of  parliament  necessary  as  another  guide  to  form  the 
English  Church  ?  If  the  Bible  were  a  sufficient  guide,  why 
was  another  book  made,  called  the  '  Book  of  Common 
Prayer,'  and  the  people  compelled  to  give  heed  to  it  under 
pain  of  banishment,  and  even  death  itself?  If  the  articles 
of  religion,  contained  in  the  New  Testament  were  a  sufficient 
guide,  why  were  '  Thirty-nine  Articles'  more,  enforced  upon 
the  people  by  acts  of  parliament,  and  the  people  butchered 
and  murdered  because  they  could  not  conscientiously  comply 
with  them  ?  It  is  certain  that  this  newiy-ibrmed-parliament- 
made  church  considered  the  Bible  to  be  very  deficient  as  a 
guide,  or  they  never  would  have  resorted  to  such  blood-thirsty 
murderous  measures  to  establish  other  books  in  addition  to 
the  Bible. 

."  Again,  what  part  of  the  Bible  has  established  the  salaries 
of  the  different  officers  of  the  church  ?  If  it  be  necessary  that 
preachers  should  have  wages,  how  much  shall  it  be  ?     How 


THE  BOOK  OF  DOCTRINE  AND  COVENANTS.       349 

much  more  shall  an  apostle  get  than  a  prophet  ?  If  a 
bishop  get  from  ten  to  twenty  thousand  pounds  for  one  year's 
preaching,  how  much  should  an  inspired  apostle  or  prophet 
get  ?  or  how  much  should  some  of  the  lower  officers  have  ? 
the  New  Testament  does  not  tell  us  the  amount  of  wages  re- 
ligious hirelings  should  have,  therefore,  if  it  be  important  to 
know,  the  Bible  is  an  insufficient  guide.  It  says,  however, 
that  apostles  should  '  take  neither  purse  nor  scrip,'  but  it  leaves 
us  entirely  in  the  dark,  as  to  how  much  bishops,  archbishops, 
and  other  officers  should  have.  Would  it  not  be  a  wise  plan 
for  an  act  of  parliament  to  increase  their  wages  a  little,  lest 
they  suffer  ?  We  see  plainly  that  the  Bible  is  not  a  sufficient 
guide  in  many,  very  many  points,  as  the  doings  of  the  whole 
Protestant  world  most  plainly  declare." 

Practical  as  all  these  questions  are,  and  enforced  with  tal- 
ent and  eloquence  not  to  be  despised  by  any  candid  writer, 
they  leave  the  divine  authenticity  of  the  Book  of  Mormon 
much  where  they  found  it.  Accordingly,  no  attempt  is  made 
by  Mr.  Orson  Pratt,  to  argue  that  question,  by  reference  to 
internal  evidence  either  of  that  book  or  of  the  Bible,  or  to  sup- 
port either  by  tradition  or  argument,  but  only  by  testimony. 
And  that  testimony  is  the  story  of  the  angel  and  the  discovery 
of  the  buried  plates  already  related.  We  are  to  accept  the 
testimony  of  Joseph  Smith  and  his  witnesses  ;  the  Mormons 
will  give  us  no  other.  For  the  rest,  they  resort  to  every  spe- 
cies of  forensic  recrimination. 

This  mode  of  argument  is  open  to  much  suspicion.  It  in- 
dicates a  bad  cause.  It  is  a  plea  in  extenuation,  not  a  proof 
of  non-guiltiness.  It  is  the  justification  of  one  pious  fraud  by 
the  allegation  of  another.  To  a  considerable  extent,  how- 
ever, the  justification  has  succeeded,  and  we  are  presented 
with  a  new  church  claiming  immediate  revelation  with  its 
specific  doctrines,  officers,  and  orders. 

These,  for  the  most  part,  are  to  be  found  in  another  Mormon 


350  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

book,  already  frequently  mentioned,  and  of  which  the  full  title 
is  as  follows  : 

"The  Book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints,  selected  from  the  Revela- 
tions of  God,  by  Joseph  Smith,  President.  Liverpool :  Orson 
Pratt."* 

This  work  commences  with  seven  lectures  on  the  subject  of 
faith,  said  originally  to  have  been  delivered  before  a  class  of 
the  elders,  in  Kirtland,  Ohio  ;  and  certainly  marked  by  con- 
siderable acumen.  On  this  point  Mr.  Bowes,  the  author  of  a 
pamphlet  entitled  "  Mormonism  Exposed,"  and  a  public  de- 
bater against  the  Saints  in  the  manufacturing  districts  of 
England,  has  not  been  fortunate  in  attacking  their  theology. 
He  charges  them  with  ignorance  of  the  word  faith — he  has 
only  proved  his  own.  Faith,  he  says,  is  crediting  testimony, 
and  asks,  "  What  testimony  God  had  to  credit  ?" — and  there- 
fore concludes  that  faith  is  not  an  attribute  of  God  but  of 
believers.  Mr.  Bowes  has  here  confounded  speculative  belief 
with  practical  faith.  With  the  Mormons,  on  the  contrary, 
"  faith  is  the  principle  of  power,"  both  human  and  divine. 
"  The  principle  of  power,"  say  they,  "which  existed  in  the 
bosom  of  God,  by  which  the  worlds  were  framed,  was  faith  ; 
and  it  is  by  reason  of  this  principle  of  power  existing  in  the 
Deity,  that  all  created  things  exist ;  so  that  all  things  in 
heaven,  on  earth,  or  under  the  earth,  exist  by  reason  of  faith 
as  it  existed  in  Him."  It  is  to  the  credit  of  the  Mormons  that, 
considering  faith  in  its  practical  aspects,  they  have  brought  it 
to  bear  on  the  actual  business  of  life,  and  used  it  as  the  cor- 
ner-stone of  the  social  edifice,  though  rejected  by  other  build- 
ers of  churches  and  of  states. 

It  is  because  the  Mormons  accept  faith  as  a  practical  im- 

*  This  and  the  other  numerous  controversial  tracts  of  the  Mormons 
maybe  obtained  at  their  Depot,  35,  Jewin  Street,  Aldersgate  Street, 
London. 


MORMON    IDEA    OF    "  FAITH."  351 

pulse  rather  than  as  a  speculative  acquiescence,  that  they  re- 
gard the  living  prophet  with  even  more  esteem  than  his 
prophecy,  and  derive  the  authenticity  of  the  book  rather  from 
the  institution  of  the  church,  than  found  the  church  upon  the 
book.  They  sympathize  more  strongly  with  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic view  in  relation  to  the  Bible  than  with  the  Protestant. 
The  church  to  both  is  the  living  witness  and  interpreter  of 
the  dead  letter  in  old  documents.  With  them,  there  still  exists 
fellowship  between  God  and  man ;  with  them,  the  being  of 
the  former  is  testified  by  immediate  inspiration  ;  and  the  be- 
lieving recipient  is,  as  of  old,  "  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 
Now,  other  and  more  generally  esteemed  men  than  Joseph 
Smith — men  whom  the  world  has  accepted  as  philosophers, 
have  yearned,,  in  these*  latter  days,  to  supply  the  void  which 
they  felt  to  exist  as  a  want  in  modern  Christendom.  Luther's 
reformation  in  Europe  was  directly  opposed  to  the  mystical 
spirit  which  lies  concealed  in  the  bosom  of  all  religious  com- 
munities, and  which,  though  the  great  reformer  sought  to  ex- 
tinguish it,  continues  still  unquenched  to  the  present  time, 
and,  as  his  biography  proves,  was  not  absent  in  his  deeper 
moods  from  his  own  mental  operations.  The  Chillingworth 
doctrine  of  "  the  Bible  and  the  Bible  alone  being  the  religion 
of  Protestants,"  had  a  tendency  to  substitute  for  the  idolatry 
of  the  priest  the  idolatry  of  the  book  ;  and,  indeed,  it  was  a 
favorite  tenet,  and,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  the  boast  of  the 
orthodox,  that  "there  was  no  vision  in  the  land."  The  time 
for  miraculous  communication  was  passed  forever.  The 
great  American  sage,  Mr.  Emerson,  felt  the  burthen  of  the 
Protestant  yoke  in  this  particular  ;  and,  in  one  of  his  lectures, 
declares  that  its  teaching  is  equivalent  to  an  admission  that 
"God  is  dead,"  in  respect  to  the  human  race  at  the  present 
time.  Now  this  is  a  conclusion  against  which  the  thinking 
man  will  reasonably  revolt.  Nor  is  much  education  required 
to  perceive  its  fallacy.    The  self-instructed  man  would  be  one 


352  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

of  the  first  to  perceive  it.  No  wonder,  then,  that  in  some 
part  of  the  Christian  world,  there  should  be  a  Joseph  Smith, 
who  would  be  deeply  affected  with  such  perception  ;  and,  pur- 
suing the  practical  tendencies  of  a  working-man,  should  seek 
to  carry  out  its  results  in  connection  with  the  actual  conditions 
and  relations  of  the  social  state,  collectively  and  individually. 

To  accomplish  such  an  end,  the  first  thing  to  be  done  is,  to 
destroy  the  Bibliolatry  that  impedes  it.  The  infidel  sought  to 
do  this  by  invalidating  the  Scriptures;  but  modern  sages  have 
proposed,  on  the  other  hand,  to  invest  the  whole  range  of  lit- 
erature with  Divine  sanctions,  and  to  accept,  poets  and  phi- 
losophers as  everywhere  and  always  inspired.  Joseph  Smith 
adopted  a  more  compact  method.  He  set  up  a  second  Bible 
to  partake  the  honors  of  the  first ;  ana  having  thus  divided 
the  homage,  and  thereby  weakened  the  idolatry,  he  prepared 
the  way  for  the  acceptance  of  new  pretensions.  A  third  Bible 
was  now  possible,  which  should  record  the  origin,  progress,  and 
full  establishment  of  a  new  dispensation  entrusted  to  his  own 
personal  conduct  as  a  prophet. 

The  lecturer  "on  Faith"  in  the  Book  of  Doctrine  proceeds 
to  ask,  "  Who  cannot  see,  then,  that  salvation  is  the  effect  of 
faith  ?  for,  as  we  have  previously  observed,  all  the  heavenly 
beings  work  by  this  principle  ;  and  it  is  because  they  are  able 
so  to  do  that  they  are  saved,  for  nothing  but  this  could  save 
them.  And  this  is  the  lesson  which  the  God  of  heaven,  by 
the  mouth  of  all  his  holy  prophets,  has  been  endeavoring  to 
teach  to  the  world.  Hence  we  are  told,  that  without  faith  it 
is  impossible  to  please  God  ;  and  that  salvation  is  of  faith, 
that  it  might  be  by  grace,  to  the  end  the  promise  might  be 
sure  to  all  the  seed.  Romans  iv.  16.  And  that  Israel,  who 
followed  after  the  law  of  righteousness,  has  not  attained  to 
the  law  of  righteousness.  Wherefore  ?  Because  they  sought 
it  not  by  faith,  but  as  it  were  by  the  works  of  the  law ;  for 
they  stumbled  at  that  stumbling  stone.  Romans  ix.  32.    And 


MORMON    IDEA    OF    "  FAITH."  353 

Jesus  said  unto  the  man  who  brought  his  son  to  him,  to  get 
the  devil  who  tormented  him  east  out,  '  If  thou  canst  believe, 
all  things  are  possible  to  him  that  believeth.'  Mark  ix.  23. 
These,  with  a  multitude  of  other  scriptures  which  might  be 
quoted,  plainly  set  forth  the  light  in  which  the  Saviour,  as 
well  as  the  Former-Day  Saints,  viewed  the  plan  of  salvation. 
That  it  was  a  system  of  faith — it  begins  with  faith,  and  con- 
tinues by  faith  ;  and  every  blessing  which  is  obtained  in  re- 
lation to  it,  is  the  effect  of  faith,  whether  it  pertains  to  this 
life  or  that  which  is  to  come.  To  this  all  the  revelations  of 
God  bear  witness.  If  there  were  children  of  promise,  they 
were  the  effects  of  faith,  not  even  the  Saviour  of  the  world 
excepted.  ■  Blessed  is  she  that  believeth,'  said  Elizabeth  to 
Mary,  when  she  went  to  visit  her,  '  for  there  shall  be  a  per- 
formance of  the  things  which  were  told  her. of  the  Lord/ 
Luke  i.  45.  Nor  was  the  birth  of  John  the  Baptist  the  less  a 
matter  of  faith  ;  for  in  order  that  his  father  Zacharias  might 
believe,  he  was  struck  dumb.  And  through  the  whole  history 
of  the  scheme  of  life  and  salvation,  it  is  a  matter  of  faith: 
every  man  received  according  to  his  faith — according  as  his 
faith  was,  so  were  his  blessings  and  privileges  ;  and  nothing 
was  withheld  from  him  when  his  faith  was  sufficient  to  re- 
ceive it.  He  could  stop  the  mouths  of  lions,  quench  the  vio- 
lence of  fire,  escape  the  edge  of  the  sword,  wax  valiant  in 
fight,  and  put  to  flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens  :  women  could, 
by  their  faith,  receive  their  dead  children  to  life  again  ;  in  a 
word,  there  was  nothing  impossible  with  them  who  had  faith. 
All  things  were  in  subjection  to  the  Former-Day  Saints,  ac- 
cording as  their  faith  was.  By  their  faith  they  could  obtain 
heavenly  visions,  the  ministering  of  angels,  have  knowledge 
of  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,  of  the  general  assem- 
bly and  church  of  the  first  born,  whose  names  are  written  in 
heaven,  of  God  the  judge  of  all,  of  Jesus  the  Mediator  of  the 
new  covenant,  and  become  familiar  with  the  third  heavens, 

23 


354  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

see  and  hear  things  which  were  not  only  unutterable,  but  were 
unlawful  to  utter." 

These  lectures  are  followed  by  sections  entitled,  "  Doctrines 
and  Commandments,"  which  are  given  as  from  "  the  Lord,  to 
his  servants  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day 
Saints."  In  the  second  section  the  origin  of  the  church  is 
thus  dated. 

"  1.  The  rise  of  the  church  of  Christ  in  these  last  days? 
being  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty  years  since  the 
coming  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  in  the  flesh,  it 
being  regularly  organized  and  established  agreeably  to  the 
laws  of  our  country,  by  the  will  and  commandments  of  God, 
in  the  fourth  month,  and  on  the  sixth  day  of  the  month  which 
is  called  April ;  which  commandments  were  given  to  Joseph 
Smith,  jun.,  who  was  called  of  God,  and  ordained  an  apostle 
of  Jesus  Christ,  to  be  the  first  elder  of  this  church  ;  and  to 
Oliver  Cowdery,  who  was  also  called  of  God,  an  apostle  of 
Jesus  Christ  to  be  the  second  elder  of  this  church,  and  or- 
dained under  his  hand  ;  and  this  according  to  the  grace  of  our 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  to  whom  be  all  glory,  both 
now  and  forever.     Amen. 

"  2.  After  it  was  truly  manifested  unto  this  first  elder  that 
he  had  received  a  remission  of  his  sins,  he  was  entangled 
again  in  the  vanities  of  the  world ;  but  after  repenting,  and 
humbling  himself  sincerely,  through  faith,  God  ministered 
unto  him  by  an  holy  angel,  whose  countenance  was  as  light- 
ning, and  whose  garments  were  pure  and  white  above  all 
other  whiteness  ;  and  gave  unto  him  commandments  which 
inspired  him ;  and  gave  hirn  power  from  on  high,  by  the 
means  which  were  before  prepared,  to  translate  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  which  contains  a  record  of  a  fallen  people,  and  the 
fulness  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  to  the  Gentiles  and  to  the 
Jews  also,  which  was  given  by  inspiration,  and  is  confirmed 
to  others  by  the  ministering  of  angels,  and  is  declared  unto 


"doctrines  and  commandments."  355 

the  world  by  them,  proving  to  the  world  that  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures are  true,  arid  that  God  does  inspire  men  and  call  them 
to  his  holy  work  in  this  age  and  generation,  as  well  as  in  gen- 
erations of  old,  thereby  showing  that  he  is  the  same  God  yes- 
terday, to-day,  and  forever.     Amen." 

"We  are  then  instructed  in  those  particulars  in  which  it  was 
above  stated  the  Scriptures  are  an  insufficient  guide. 

"7.  And  again,  by  way  of  commandment  to  the  church 
concerning  the  manner  of  baptism. — All  those  who  humble 
themselves  before  God,  and  desire  to  be  baptized  and  come 
forth  with  broken  hearts  and  contrite  spirits,  and  witness  be- 
fore the  church  that  they  have  truly  repented  of  all  their 
sins,  and  are  willing  to  take  upon  them  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  having  a  determination  to  serve  him  to  the  end,  and 
truly  manifest  by  their  works  that  they  have  received  of  the 
spirit  of  Christ  unto  the  remission  of  their  sins,  shall  be  re- 
ceived by  baptism  into  his  church. 

"8.  The  duly  of  the  elders,  priests,  teachers,  deacons,  and 
members  of  the  church  of  Christ. — An  apostle  is  an  elder, 
and  it  is  his  calling  to  baptize  and  to  ordain  other  elders, 
priests,  teachers,  and  deacons,  and  to  administer  bread  and 
wine — the  emblems  of  the  flesh  and  blood  of  Christ — and  to 
confirm  those  who  are  baptized  into  the  church,  by  the  laying 
on  of  hands  for  the  baptism  of  fire  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  ac- 
cording to  the  Scriptures  ;  and  to  teach,  expound,  exhort,  bap- 
tize, and  watch  over  the  church ;  and  to  confirm  the  church 
by  the  laying  on  of  the  hands,  and  the  giving  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  to  take  the  lead  of  all  meetings. 

"  9.  The  elders  are  to  conduct  the  meetings  as  they  are  led 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  according  to  the  commandments  and  rev- 
elations of  God. 

"10.  The  priests'  duty  is  to  preach,  teach,  expound,  exhort, 
and  baptize,  and  administer  the  sacrament,  and  visit  the 
house  of  each  member,  and  exhort  them  to  pray  vocally  and 


356  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

in  secret,  and  attend  to  all  family  duties  ;  and  he  may  also 
ordain  other  priests,  teachers,  and  deacons.  And  he  is  to 
take  the  lead  of  meetings  when  there  is  no  elder  present ;  but 
when  there  is  an  elder  present,  he  is  only  to  preach,  teach, 
expound,  exhort,  and  baptize,  and  visit  the  house  of  each 
member,  exhorting  them  to  pray  vocally  and  in  secret,  and 
attend  to  all  family  duties.  In  all  these  duties  the  priest  is 
to  assist  the  elder  if  occasion  requires. 

"11.  The  teacher's  duty  is  to  watch  over  the  church  al- 
ways, and  be  with  and  strengthen  them,  and  see  that  there 
is  no  iniquity  in  the  church — neither  hardness  with  each  oth- 
er— neither  lying,  backbiting,  or  evil  speaking  ;  and  see  that 
the  church  meet  together  often,  and  also  see  that  all  the 
members  do  their  duty ;  and  he  is  to  take  the  lead  of  meet- 
ings in  the  absence  of  the  elder  priest — and  is  to  be  assisted 
always,  in  all  his  duties  in  the  church,  by  the  deacons,  if  oc- 
casion requires ;  but  neither  teachers  nor  deacons  have  au- 
thority to  baptize,  administer  the  sacrament,  or  lay  on  hands ; 
they  are,  however,  to  warn,  expound,  exhort,  and  teach  and 
invite  all  to  come  unto  Christ. 

"  12.  Every  elder,  priest,  teacher,  or  deacon,  is  to  be  or- 
dained according  to  the  gifts  and  callings  of  God  unto  him  ; 
and  he  is  to  be  ordained  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
which  is  in  the  one  who  ordains  him. 

"13.  The  several  elders,  composing  this  church  of  Christ, 
are  to  meet  in  conference  once  in  three  months,  or  from  time 
to  time  as  said  conferences  shall  direct  or  appoint ;  and  said 
conferences  are  to  do  whatever  church  business  is  necessary 
to  be  done  at  the  time. 

11 14.  The  elders  are  to  receive  their  licenses  from  other 
elders,  by  vote  of  the  church  to  which  they  belong,  or  from 
the  conferences. 

"  15.  Each  priest,  teacher  or  deacon,  who  is  ordained  by 
a  priest  may  take  a  certificate  from  him  at  the  time,  which 


CEREMONY   OF   BAPTISM. 


359 

certificate,  when  presented  to  an  elder,  shall  entitle  him  to  a 
license,  which  shall  authorize  him  to  perform  the  duties  of 
his  calling,  or  he  may  receive  it  from  a  conference. 

"  16.  No  person  is  to  be  ordained  to  any  office  in  this 
church,  where  there  is  a  regularly  organized  branch  of  the 
same,  without  the  vote  of  that  church  ;  but  the  presiding  elders, 
travelling  bishops,  high  counsellors,  high  priests,  and  elders, 
may  have  the  privilege  of  ordaining,  where  there  is  no  branch 
of  the  church  that  a  vote  may  be  called. 

"17.  Every  president  of  the  high  priesthood  (or  presiding 
elder),  bishop,  high  counsellor,  and  high  priest,  is  to  be  or- 
dained by  the  direction  of  a  high  council  or  general  confer- 
ence. 

"18.  The  duty  of  members  after  they  are  received  by  bap- 
tism.— The  elders  or  priests  are  to  have  a  sufficient  time  to 
expound  all  things  concerning  the  church  of  Christ  to  their 
understanding,  previous  to  their  partaking  of  the  sacrament 
and  being  confirmed  by  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  el- 
ders, so  that  all  things  may  be  done  in  order.  And  the  mem- 
bers shall  manifest  before  the  church,  and  also  before  the  el- 
ders, by  a  godly  walk  and  conversation,  that  they  are  worthy 
of  it,  that  there  maybe  works  and  faith  agreeable  to  the  Holy 
Scriptures — walking  in  holiness  before  the  Lord. 

"19.  Every  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ  having  chil- 
dren, is  to  bring  them  unto  the  elders  before  the  church,  who 
are  to  lay  their  hands  upon  them  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  bless  them  in  his  name. 

"  20.  No  one  can  be  received  into  the  church  of  Christ,  un- 
less he  has  arrived  unto  the  years  of  accountability  before 
God,  and  is  capable  of  repentance. 

"21.  Baptism  is  to  be  administered  in  the  following  man- 
ner unto  all  those  who  repent  : — The  person  who  is  called  of 
God,  and  has  authority  from  Jesus  Christ  to  baptize,  shall  go 
down  into  the  water  with  the  person  who  has  presented  him 


360  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

or  herself  for  baptism,  and  shall  say,  calling  hirn  or  her  by 
name — Having  been  commissioned  of  Jesus  Christ,  I  baptize 
you  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Amen.  Then  shall  he  immerse  him  or  her  in 
the  water,  and  come  forth  again  out  of  the  water. 

"  22.  It  is  expedient  that  the  church  meet  together  often,  to 
partake  of  bread  and  wine  in  remembrance  of  the  Lord  Jesus ; 
and  the  elder  or  priest  shall  administer  it ;  and  after  this 
manner  shall  he  administer  it — he  shall  kneel  with  the  church 
and  call  upon  the  Father  in  solemn  prayer,  saying — 0  God, 
the  eternal  Father,  we  ask  thee  in  the  name  of  thy  son,  Jesus 
Christ,  to  bless  and  sanctify  this  bread  to  the  souls  of  all  those 
who  partake  of  it,  that  they  may  eat  in  remembrance  of  the 
body  of  thy  Son,  and  witness  unto  thee,  0  God,  the  eternal 
Father,  that  they  are  willing  to  take  upon  them  the  name  of 
thy  Son,  and  always  remember  him  and  keep  his  command- 
ments which  he  has  given  them,  that  they  may  always  have 
his  spirit  to  be  with  them.     Amen. 

"  23.  And  the  manner  of  administering  the  wine.  He 
shall  take  the  cup  also,  and  say — 0  God,  the  eternal  Father, 
we  ask  thee  in  the  name  of  thy  Son  Jesus  Christ,  to  bless  and 
sanctify  this  wine  to  the  souls  of  all  those  who  drink  of  it, 
that  they  may  do  it  in  remembrance  of  the  blood  of  thy  Son, 
which  was  shed  for  them  ;  that  they  may  witness  unto  thee, 
0  God,  the  eternal  Father  ;  that  they  do  always  remember 
him,  that  they  may  have  his  spirit  to  be  with  them.     Amen." 

In  section  III.  we  are  presented  with  still  more  important 
matter. 

"  1.  There  are,  in  the  Church,  two  priesthoods,  namely, 
the  Melchizedek,  and  the  Aaronic,  including  the  Levitical 
priesthood.  Why  the  first  is  called  the  Melchizedek  priest- 
hood, is  because  Melchizedek  was  such  a  great  high  priest 
Before  his  day  it  was  called  the  holy  priesthood,  after  the 
order  of  the  Son  of  God  ;  but  out  of  respect  or  reverence  to 


PRIESTHOOD    AND    OFFICE-BEARERS.  361 

the  name  of  the  Supreme  Being,  to  avoid  the  too  frequent 
repetition  of  his  name,  they,  the  church,  in  ancient  days, 
called  that  priesthood  after  Melchizedek,  or  the  Melchizedek 
priesthood. 

"2.  All  other  authorities  or  offices  in  the  Church  are  ap- 
pendages to  this  priesthood  ;  but  there  are  two  divisions  or 
grand  heads — one  in  the  Melchizedek  priesthood,  and  the  other 
in  the  Aaronic,  or  Levitical  priesthood. 

..  "3.  The  office  of  an  elder  comes  under  the  priesthood  of 
Melchizedek.  The  Melchizedek  priesthood  holds  the  right  of 
presidency,  and  has  power  and  authority  over  all  the  offices  in 
the  church  in  all  ages  of  the  world,  to  administer  in  spiritual 
things. 

"4.  The  presidency  of  the  high  priesthood,  after  the  order 
of  Melchizedek,  have  a  right  to  officiate  in  all  the  offices  in 
the  church. 

"  5.  High  priests  after  the  order  of  the  Melchizedek  priest- 
hood, have  a  right  to  officiate  in  their  own  standing,  under 
the  direction  of  the  presidency,  in  administering  spiritual 
things  :  and  also  in  the  office  of  an  elder,  priest  (of  the  Le- 
vitical order),  teacher,  deacon,  and  member. 

"  6.  An  elder  has  a  right  to  officiate  in  his  stead  when  the 
high  priest  is  not  present. 

"  7.  The  high  priest  and  elder  are  to  administer  in  spiritual 
things,  agreeably  to  the  covenants  and  commandments  of  the 
church  ;  and  they  have  a  right  to  officiate  in  all  these  offices 
of  the  church  when  there  are  no  higher  authorities  present. 

"  8.  The  second  priesthood  is  called  the  priesthood  of 
Aaron,  because  it  was  conferred  upon  Aaron  and  his  seed, 
throughout  all  their  generations.  Why  it  is  called  the  lesser 
priesthood,  is  because  it  is  an  appendage  to  the  greater  or  the 
Melchizedek  priesthood,  and  has  power  in  administering  out- 
ward ordinances.  The  bishopric  is  the  presidency  of  this 
priesthood,  and  holds  the  keys  or  authority  of  the  same.     No 


362  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

man  has  a  legal  right  to  this  office,  to  hold  the  keys  of  this 
priesthood,  except  he  be  a  literal  descendant  of  Aaron.  But 
as  a  high  priest  of  the  Melchizedek  priesthood  has  authority 
to  officiate  in  all  the  lesser  offices,  he  may  officiate  in  the  of- 
fice of  bishop  when  no  literal  descendant  of  Aaron  can  be 
found,  provided  he  is  called,  and  set  apart,  and  ordained  unto 
this  power  by  the  hands  of  the  presidency  of  the  Melchizedek 
priesthood. 

"  9.  The  power  and  authority  of  the  higher  or  Melchizedek 
priesthood,  is  to  hold  the  keys  of  all  the  spiritual  blessings  of 
the  church — to  have  the  privilege  of  receiving  the  mysteries 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven — to  have  the  heavens  opened  unto 
them — to  commune  with  the  general  assembly  and  church  of 
the  first-born,  and  to  enjoy  the  communion  and  presence  of 
God  the  Father,  and  Jesus  the  Mediator  of  the  new  covenant. 

"  10.  The  power  and  authority  of  the  lesser  or  Aaronic 
priesthood,  is  to  hold  the  keys  of  the  ministering  of  angels, 
and  to  administer,  in  outward  ordinances,  the  letter  of  the 
gospel — the  baptism  of  repentance  for  the  remission  of  sins, 
agreeably  to  the  covenants  and  commandments. 

"11.  Of  necessity  there  are  presidents,  or  presiding  offices 
growing  out  of,  or  appointed  of  or  from  among  those  who  are 
ordained  to  the  several  offices  in  these  two  priesthoods.  Of 
the  Melchizedek  priesthood,  three  presiding  high  priests, 
chosen  by  the  body,  appointed  and  ordained  to  that  office,  and 
upheld  by  the  confidence,  faith,  and  prayer  of  the  church,  form 
a  quorum  of  the  presidency  of  the  church.  The  twelve 
travelling  counsellors  are  called  to  be  the  twelve  apostles,  or 
especial  witnesses  of  the  name  of  Christ,  in  all  the  world  ;  thus 
differing  from  other  officers  in  the  church  in  the  duties  of  their 
calling.  And  they  form  a  quorum,  equal  in  authority  and 
power  to  the  three  presidents  previously  mentioned.  The 
seventy  are  also  called  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  to  be  especial 
witnesses  unto  the  Gentiles  and  in  all  the  world, — thus  dif- 


PRIESTHOOD    AND    OFFICE-BEARERS.  363 

fering  from  other  officers  in  the  church  in  the  duties  of  their 
calling  ;  and  they  form  a  quorum  equal  in  authority  to  that 
of  the  twelve  especial  witnesses  or  apostles  just  named.  And 
every  decision  made  by  either  of  these  quorums,  must  be  by 
the  unanimous  voice  of  the  same  ;  that  is,  every  member  in 
each  quorum  must  be  agreed  to  its  decisions,  in  order  to  make 
their  decisions  of  the  same  power  or  validity  one  with  the 
other.  (A  majority  may  form  a  quorum,  when  circumstances 
render  it  impossible  to  be  otherwise.)  Unless  this  is  the  case, 
their  decisions  are  not  entitled  to  the  same  blessings  which 
the  decisions  of  a  quorum  of  three  presidents  were  anciently, 
who  were  ordained  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek,  and  were 
righteous  and  holy  men.  The  decisions  of  these  quorums,  or 
either  of  them,  are  to  be  made  in  all  righteousness,  in  holiness 
and  lowliness  of  heart,  meekness  and  long-suffering,  and  in 
faith,  and  virtue,  and  "knowledge,  temperance,  patience,  godli- 
ness, brotherly  kindness,  and  charity  ;  because  the  promise  is, 
if  these  things  abound  in  them,  they  shall  not  be  unfruitful  in 
the  knowledge  of  the  Lord.  And  in  case  that  any  decision 
of  these  quorums  is  made  in  unrighteousness,  it  may  be 
brought  before  a  general  assembly  of  the  several  quorums, 
which  constitute  the  spiritual  authorities  of  the  church,  oth- 
erwise there  can  be  no  appeal  from  their  decision. 

"  12.  The  twelve  are  a  travelling  presiding  high  council 
to  officiate  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  under  the  direction  of 
the  presidency  of  the  church,  agreeably  to  the  institution  of 
heaven  ;  to  build  up  the  church,  and  regulate  all  the  affairs 
of  the  same  in  all  nations ;  first  unto  the  Gentiles,  and  sec- 
ondly unto  the  Jews. 

"13.  The  seventy  are  to  act  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
under  the  direction  of  the  twelve  or  the  travelling  high  coun- 
cil, in  building  up  the  church  and  regulating  all  the  affairs 
of  the  same  in  all  nations— first  unto  the  Gentiles,  and  then 
unto  the  Jews ;  the  twelve  being  sent  out,  holding  the  keys, 


864  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

to  open  the  door  by  the  proclamation  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ — and  first  unto  the  Gentiles  and  then  unto  the  Jews. 

"14.  The  standing  high  councils,  at  the  stakes  of  Sion, 
form  a  quorum,  equal  in  authority,  in  the  affairs  of  the 
church,  in  all  their  decisions,  to  the  quorum  of  the  presi- 
dency, or  to  the  travelling  high  council. 

"  15.  The  high  council  in  Zion,  forms  a  quorum  equal  in 
authority,  in  the  affairs  of  the  church,  in  all  their  decisions, 
to  the  councils  of  the  twelve  at  the  stakes  of  Zion. 

"  1G.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  travelling  high  council  to  call 
upon  the  seventy,  when  they  need  assistance,  to  fill  the 
several  calls  for  preaching  and  administering  the  gospel,  in- 
stead of  any  others. 

"  17.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  twelve,  in  all  large  branches  of 
the  church,  to  ordain  evangelical  ministers,  as  they  shall  be 
designated  unto  them  by  revelation. 

"  18.  The  order  of  this  priesthood  was  confirmed  to  be 
handed  down  from  father  to  son,  and  rightly  belongs  to  the 
literal  descendants  of  the  chosen  seed,  to  whom  the  promises 
were  made.  This  order  was  instituted  in  the  days  of  Adam, 
and  came  down  by  lineage  in  the  following  manner  : — 

"19.  From  Adam  to  Seth,  wrho  was  ordained  by  Adam  at 
the  age  of  69  years,  and  was  blessed  by  him  three  years  pre- 
vious to  his  (Adam's)  death,  and  received  the  promise  of  God 
by  his  father,  that  his  posterity  should  be  the  chosen  of  the 
Lord  and  that  they  should  be  unreserved  unto  the  end  of  the 
earth,  because  he  (Seth)  was  a  perfect  man,  and  his  likeness 
was  the  express  likeness  of  his  father's,  insomuch  that  he 
seemed  to  be  like  unto  his  father  in  all  things,  and  could  be 
distinguished  from  him  only  by  his  age. 

"  20.  Enos  was  ordained  at  the  age  of  134  years  and  four 
months,  by  the  hand  of  Adam. 

"21.  God  called  upon  Cainan  in  the  wilderness,  in  the 
fortieth  year  of  his  age,  and  he  met  Adam  in  journeying  to 


PRIESTHOOD    AXD    OFFICE-BEARERS.  365 

the  place  Shedolamak.  He  was  87  years  old  when  he  re- 
ceived his  ordination. 

"  22.  MahalaL  el  was  496  years  and  seven  days  old  when 
he  was  ordained  by  the  hand  of  Adam,  who  also  blessed  him. 

"  23.  Jared  was  200  years  old  when  he  was  ordained 
under  the  hand  of  Adam,  who  also  blessed  him. 

"  24.  Enoch  was  25  years  old  when  he  was  ordained 
under  the  hand  of  Adam,  and  he  was  65  and  Adam  blessed 
him.  And  he  saw  the  Lord,  and  he  walked  with  him,  and 
was  before  his  face  continually  ;  and  he  walked  with  God 
365  years,  making  him  430  years  old  when  he  was  translated. 

"25.  Methuselah  was  100  years  old  when  he  was  or- 
dained under  the  hand  of  Adam. 

"  26.  Lamech  was  32  years  old  when  he  was  ordained 
under  the  hand  of  Seth. 

"  27.  Noah  was  10  years  old  when  he  was  ordained  under 
the  hand  of  Methuselah. 

"  28.  Three  years  previous  to  the  death  of  Adam,  he  called 
Seth,  Enos,  Cainan,  Mahalaleel,  Jared,  Enoch  and  Methuse- 
lah, who  were  all  high  priests,  with  the  residue  of  his  posteri- 
ty who  were  righteous,  into  the  valley  of  Adam-ondiahman, 
and  there  bestowed  upon  them  his  last  blessing.  And  the 
Lord  appeared  unto  them,  and  they  rose  up  and  blessed  Adam, 
and  called  him  Michael,  the  Prince,  the  Archangel.  And 
the  Lord  administered  comfort  unto  Adam,  and  said  unto 
him,  I  have  set  thee  to  be  at  the  head — a  multitude  of  na- 
tions shall  come  of  thee,  and  thou  art  a  prince  over  them 
forever. 

"  29.  And  Adam  stood  up  in  the  midst  of  the  congregation, 
and  notwithstanding  he  was  bowed  down  with  age,  being  full 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  predicted  whatsoever  should  befall  his  pos- 
terity unto  the  latest  generation.  These  things  were  all  writ- 
ten in  the  book  of  Enoch,  and  are  to  be  testified  of  in  due  time. 

"  30.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  twelve,  also,  to  ordain  and  set 


366  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

in  order  all  the  other  officers  of  the  church,  agreeably  to  the 
revelation  which  says, 

"31.  To  the  church  of  Christ  in  the  land  of  Zion,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  church  laws  respecting  church  business — Verily, 
I  say  unto  you,  says  the  Lord  of  hosts,  there  must  needs  be 
presiding  elders  to  preside  over  those  who  are  of  the  office  of 
an  elder ;  and  also  priests  to  preside  over  those  who  are  of 
the  office  of  a  priest,  and  also  teachers  to  preside  over  those 
who  are  of  the  office  of  a  teacher  in  like  manner,  and  also 
the  deacons  :  wherefore,  from  deacon  to  teacher,  and  from 
teacher  to  priest,  and  from  priest  to  elder,  severally  as  they 
are  appointed,  according  to  the  covenants  and  command- 
ments of  the  church.  Then  comes  the  high  priesthood, 
which  is  the  greatest  of  all ;  wherefore  it  must  needs  be  that 
one  be  appointed  of  the  high  priesthood  to  preside  over  the 
priesthood,  and  he  shall  be  called  president  of  the  high  priest- 
hood of  the  church  ;  or,  in  other  words,  the  presiding  high 
priest  over  the  high  priesthood  of  the  church.  From  the  same 
comes  the  administering  of  ordinances  and  blessings  upon  the 
church,  by  the  laying  on  of  the  hands. 

"  32.  Wherefore  the  office  of  a  bishop  is  not  equal  unto 
it ;  for  the  office  of  a  bishop  is  in  administering  all  temporal 
things  ;  nevertheless  a  bishop  must  be  chosen  from  the  high 
priesthood,  unless  he  is  a  literal  descendant  of  Aaron ;  for 
unless  he  is  a  literal  descendant  of  Aaron  he  cannot  hold  the 
keys  of  that  priesthood.  Nevertheless,  a  high  priest  that  is 
after  the  order  of  Melchizedek,  may  be  set  apart  unto  the 
ministering  of  temporal  things,  having  a  knowledge  of  them 
by  the  spirit  of  truth,  and  also  to  be  a  judge  in  Israel,  to  do 
the  business  of  the  church,  to  sit  in  judgment  upon  trans- 
gressors, upon  testimony  as  it  shall  be  laid  before  him  accord- 
ing to  the  laws,  by  the  assistance  of  his  counsellors  whom  he 
has  chosen,  or  will  choose  among  the  elders  of  the  church. 
This  is  the  duty  of  a  bishop  who  is  not  a  literal  descendant 


PRIESTHOOD    AND    OFFICE-BEARERS.  367 

of  Aaron,  but  has  been  ordained  to  the  high  priesthood  after 
the  order  of  Melchizedek. 

"  33.  Thus  shall  he  be  a  judge,  even  a  common  judge 
among  the  inhabitants  of  Zion,  or  in  a  state  of  Zion,  or  in 
any  branch  of  the  church  where  he  shall  be  set  apart  unto 
this  ministry,  until  the  borders  of  Zion  are  enlarged,  and  it 
becomes  necessary  to  have  other  bishops  or  judges  in  Zion,  or 
elsewhere  ;  and  inasmuch  as  there  are  other  bishops  ap- 
pointed they  shall  act  in  the  same  office. 

"  34.  But  a  literal  descendant  of  Aaron  has  a  legal  right 
to  the  presidency  of  this  priesthood,  'to  the  keys  of  this  min- 
istry, to  act  in  the  office  of  bishop  independently,  without 
counsellors,  except  in  a  case  v/here  a  president  of  the  high 
priesthood,  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek,  is  tried,  to  sit  as 
a  judge  in  Israel.  And  the  decision  of  either  of  these  coun- 
cils, agreeably  to  the  commandment  which  says, 

"  35.  Again,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  the  most  important 
business  of  the  church,  and  the  most  difficult  cases  of  the 
church,  inasmuch  as  there  is  not  satisfaction  upon  the  de- 
cision of  the  bishop  or  judges,  it  shall  be  handed  over  and 
carried  up  unto  the  council  of  the  church,  before  the  presi- 
dency of  the  high  priesthood  ;  and  the  presidency  of  the 
council  of  the  high  priesthood  shall  have  power  to  call  other 
high  priests,  even  twelve,  to  assist  as  counsellors  ;  and  thus 
the  presidency  of  the  high  priesthood  and  its  counsellors  shall 
have  power  to  decide  upon  testimony  according  to  the  laws 
of  the  church.  And  after  this  decision  it  shall  be  had  in  re- 
membrance no  more  before  the  Lord  ;  for  this  is  the  highest 
council  of  the  church  of  God,  and  a  final  decision  upon  con- 
troversies in  spiritual  matters. 

"36.  There  is  not  any  person  belonging  to  the  church 
who  is  exempt  from  this  council  of  the  church. 

11  37.  And  inasmuch  as  a  president  of  the  high  priesthood 
shall  transgress,  he  shall  be  had  in  remembrance  before  the 


368  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

common  council  of  the  church,  who  shall  be  assisted  by 
twelve  counsellors  of  the  high  priesthood  ;  and  their  decision 
upon  his  head  shall  be  an  end  of  controversy  concerning  him. 
Thus,  none  shall  be  exempted  from  the  justice  and  the  laws 
of  God,  that  all  things  may  be  done  in  order  and  in  solem- 
nity before  him,  according  to  truth  .and  righteousness. 

"  38.  And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  the  duty  of  a  presi- 
dent over  the  office  of  a  deacon  is  to  preside  over  twelve 
deacons,  to  sit  in  council  with  them,  and  to  teach  them  their 
duty — edifying  one  another,  as  it  is  given  according  to  the 
covenants. 

"  39.  And  also  the  duty  of  the  president  over  the  office  of 
the  teachers  is  to  preside  over  twenty-four  of  the  teachers, 
and  to  sit  in  council  with  them,  teaching  them  the  duties  of 
their  office,  as  given  in  the  covenants. 

"40.  Also  the  duty  of  the  president  over  the  priesthood 
of  Aaron  is  to  preside  over  forty-eight  priests,  and  sit  in 
council  with  them,  to  teach  them  the  duties  of  their  office, 
as  is  given  in  the  covenants.  This  president  is  to  be  a 
bishop  ;  for  this  is  one  of  the  duties  of  this  priesthood. 

"41.  Again,  the  duty  of  the  president  over  the  office  of 
elders  is  to  preside  over  ninety-six  elders,  and  to  sit  in  council 
with  them,  and  to  teach  them  according  to  the  covenants. 
This  presidency  is  a  distinct  one  from  that  of  the  seventy, 
and  is  designed  for  those  who  do  not  travel  into  all  the 
world. 

"  42.  And  again,  the  duty  of  the  president  of  the  office 
of  the  high  priesthood  is  to  preside  over  the  whole  church, 
and  to  be  like  unto  Moses.  Behold,  here  is  wisdom  ;  yea,  to 
be  a  seer,  a  revelator,  a  translator,  and  a  prophet,  having  all 
the  gifts  of  God  which  he  bestows  upon  the  head  of  the 
church. 

"43.  And  it  is  according  to  the  vision,  showing  the  order 
of  the  seventy,  that  they  should  have  seven  presidents  to  pre- 


MORMON    MATERIALISM.  369 

side  over  them,  chosen  out  of  the  number  of  the  seventy  ; 
and  the  seventh  president  of  these  presidents  is  to  preside 
over  the  six  ;  and  these  seven  presidents  are  to  choose  other 
seventy  besides  the  first  seventy,  to  whom  they  belong,  and 
are  to  preside  over  them  ;  and  also  other  seventy,  until  seven 
times  seventy,  if  the  labor  in  the  vineyard  of  necessity  re- 
quires it.  And  these  seventy  are  to  be  travelling  ministers 
unto  the  Gentiles  first,  and  also  unto  the  Jews  ;  whereas 
other  officers  of  the  church,  who  belong  not  unto  the  twelve, 
neither  to  the  seventy,  are  not  under  the  responsibility  to 
travel  among  all  nations,  but  are  to  travel  as  their  circum- 
stances shall  allow,  notwithstanding  they  may  hold  as  high 
and  responsible  offices  in  the  church. 

"44.  Wherefore  now  let  every  man  learn  his  duty,  and  to 
act  in  the  office  in  which  he  is  appointed,  in  all  diligence. 
He  that  is  slothful  shall  not  be  counted  worthy  to  stand,  and 
he  that  learns  not  his  duty  and  shows  himself  not  approved, 
shall  not  be  counted  worthy  to  stand.     Even  so.     Amen." 

The  importance  of  the  above  extract  will  atone  for  its 
length.  It  contains  nearly  the  whole  of  the  Mormon  Eccle- 
siastical Pulity.  Subsequent  sections  make  provision  for  the 
most  minute  particulars — relative  not  only  to  things  sacred, 
but  things  secular — such  as  farm  and  store  taking,  printing 
and  publishing  of  books,  building  and  the  raising  of  the  requi- 
site funds. 

These,  of  course,  have  excited  much  ridicule.  Certain  tech- 
nical religious  doctrines  have  also  met  with  little  mercy  from 
Mormon  antagonists.  It  is  sufficient  here  to  allude  to  their 
distinctive  tenets  on  prophecy,  the  religious  and  divine  right 
of  revenge,  the  baptism  of  the  dead,  and  the  revived  Roman 
Catholic  dogma  of  Baptismal  Regeneration.  It  is  possibly 
more  important  to  consider  at  its  due  length  the  philosophical 
system  promulgated  by  Mr.  Orson  Pratt,  whose  name  we  have 

24 


370  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

already  mentioned,  as  the  learned  apostle  of  the  Mormon  pre- 
tensions. 

According  to  the  "  Lectures  on  Faith,"  and  in  accordance 
with  the  high  tone  assumed  by  the  Mormons  in  their  Mate- 
rialism, they  invariably  give  a  literal  interpretation  to  the 
Hebrew  Scriptures.  That  is  their  cardinal  point, — no  mysti- 
cism ; — the  plain  meaning  of  plain  words. 

God,  by  the  Mormons,  is  described  through  his  personal 
attributes,  and  these,  again,  are  resolved  into  corporeal  char- 
acteristics. "  The  first  thought  that  there  ever  existed  in  the 
mind  of  any  individual  that  there  was  such  a  being  as  a  God, 
who  had  created  and  did  uphold  all  things,"  was  owing  to  and 
"  by  reason  of  the  manifestation  which  he  first  made  to  our 
father,  Adam,  when  he  stood  in  his  presence,  and  conversed 
with  him  face  to  face,  at  the  time  of  his  creation." 

This  materialistic  view  makes  the  Mormon  very  angry  with 
the  Orthodox  dogma,  that  commences  the  thirty-nine  articles 
of  the  Church  of  England.  The  Mormon  author  of  "  The 
Absurdities  of  Immaterialism"*  expresses  his  contempt  of  the 
article  in  question,  in  these  terms  : — "  The  Immaterialist  says, 
there  is  such  a  substance  as  God,  but  it  is  witlwut  parts — 
(first  of  the  39  Articles  ;  also,  Art.  Methodist  discipline  ;)" 
and  on  all  such  Immaterialism  the  Mormons  unscrupulously 
stamp  the  brand  of  Atheism.  Of  Atheists,  they  tell  us,  there 
are  two  classes  in  the  world — one  denying  the  existence  of 
God  in  the  most  positive  language  ;  the  other  denying  his  ex- 
istence in  duration  or  space.  One  says,  "  There  is  no  God  ;" 
the  other  says,  "  God  is  not  here  or  there,  any  more  than  he 
exists  noiv  and  then."  The  Infidel  says,  adds  the  writer, 
"  God  does  not  exist  anywhere."     The  Immaterialist  says, 

*  Absurdities  of  Immaterialism ;  or,  A  Reply  to  T.  W.  P.  Taylder's 
Pamphlet,  entitled,  "  The  Materialism  of  the  Mormons  or  Latter-Day 
Saints,  Examined  and  Exposed.'' 


MORMON    MATERIALISM. 


371 


"  He  exists  noivhere."     Upon  the  ingenuity  or  absurdity  of 
these  statements  it  is  needless  to  remark. 

"  The  Immaterialist,"  says  Mr.  Orson  Pratt,  "  only  differs 
from  the  other  class  of  atheists,  by  clothing  an  indivisible  un- 
extended  Nothing  with  the  powers  of  a  God.  One  class," 
continues  Mr.  Pratt,  "believes  in  no  God ;  the  other  class  be- 
lieves that  Nothing  is  God,  and  worships  it  as  such.  There 
is  no  twisting  away  from  this.  The  most  profound  philosopher 
in  all  the  ranks  of  modern  Christianity,  cannot  extricate  the 
Immaterialist  from  atheism.  He  cannot  show  the  least  dif- 
ference between  the  idea  represented  by  the  word  Nothing, 
and  the  idea  represented  by  that  which  is  unextended,  indi- 
visible, and  without  parts,  having  no  relation  to  space  or  time. 
All  the  philosophers  in  the  universe  could  not  give  a  better  or 
more  correct  definition  of  Nothing.  And  yet  this  is  the  God 
worshipped  by  the  Church  of  England — the  Methodists— and 
millions  of  other  atheistical  idolaters,  according  to  their  own 
definitions,  as  recorded  in  their  respective  articles  of  faith.  An 
open  Atheist  is  not  so  dangerous  as  the  Atheist  who  couches 
his  atheistical  doctrines  under  the  head  of  '  Articles  of  Re- 
ligion.' The  first  stands  out  with  open  colors,  and  boldly 
avows  his  infidelity  ;  the  latter,  under  the  sacred  garb  of  re- 
ligion, draws  into  his  yawning  vortex  the  unhappy  millions 
who  are  persuaded  to  believe  in,  and  worship  an  unextended 
indivisible  nothing  without  parts,  deified  into  a  god.  A  pious 
Atheist  is  much  more  serviceable  in  building  up  the  kingdom 
of  darkness  than  one  who  openly,  and  without  any  deception, 
avows  his  infidelity. 

"  No  wonder  that  this  modem  god  has  wrought  no  miracles 
and  given  no  revelations  since  his  followers  invented  their 
■  Articles  of  Religion.'  A  being,  without  parts  must  be  en- 
tirely powerless,  and  can  perform  no  miracles.  Nothing  can 
be  communicated  from  such  a  being ;  for,  if  nothing  give 
nothing,  nothing  will  be  received.     If,  at  death,  his  followers 


372  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS, 

are  to  be  made  like  him,  they  will  enjoy,  with  some  of  ths 
modern  Pagans,  all  the  beauties  of  annihilation.  To  be  made 
like  him  !  Admirable  thought  !  How  transcendently  sub- 
lime to  behold  an  innumerable  multitude  of  unextended 
nothings,  casting  their  crowns  at  the  feet  of  the  great,  inex- 
tended,  infinite  Nothing,  filling  all  space,  and  yet  '  without 
parts  !'  Tfcere  will  be  no  danger  of  quarrelling  for  want  of 
room  ;  for  the  Rev.  David  James  says,  '  Ten  thousand  spirits 
might  be  brought  together  into  the  smallest  compass  imagi- 
nable, and  there  exist  without  any  inconvenience  for  want  of 
room.  As  materiality,'  continues  he,  'forms  no  property  of  a 
spirit,  the  space  which  is  insufficient  for  one,  must  be  amply 
sufficient  for  myriads,  yea,  for  all  that  exist.'*  According  to 
this,  all  the  spirits  that  exist,  '  could  be  brought  together  into 
the  smallest  compass  imaginable  ;'  or,  in  other  words,  into  no 
compass  at  all ;  for,  he  says,  a  spirit  occupies  '  no  room,  and 
fills  no  space.'  What  an  admirable  description  of  Nothing  ! 
Nothing  'occupies  no  room,  and  fills  no  space.'  If  myriads  of 
Nothings  were  '  brought  together  into  the  smallest  compass 
imaginable,'  they  could  ;  there  exist  without  any  inconvenience 
for  want  of  room.'  Everything  which  the  Immaterialist  says, 
of  the  existence  of  sjririt,  will  apply,  without  any  variation, 
to  the  existence  of  Nothing.  If  he  says  that  his  god  cannot 
exist  '  Here'  or  '  There*  the  same  is  true  of  Nothing.  If  he 
affirms  that  he  cannot  exist  '  Now?  and  '  Then,'  the  same  can 
in  all  truth,  be  affirmed  of  Nothing.  If  he  declares  that  he 
is  '  unextended,'  so  is  Nothing.  If  he  asserts  that  he  is  '  in. 
divisible'  and  '  without  parts'  so  is  Nothing.  If  he  declares 
that  a  spirit  '  occupies  no  room  and  fills  no  space,'  neither 
does  Nothing.  If  he  says  a  spirit  is  '  Nowhere?  so  is  Nothing. 
All  that  he  affirms  of  the  one,  can,  in  like  manner,  and  with 
equal  truth,  be  affirmed  of  the  other.     Indeed,  they  are  only 

*  Rev.  David  James  on  the  Trinity,  in  Unitarianism  Confuted.    Lect. 
VII.,  page  382. 


MORMON    MATERIALISM.  373 

two  words,  each  of  which  express  precisely  the  same  idea. 
There  is  no  more  absurdity  in  calling  Nothing  a  substance, 
and  clothing  it  with  Almighty  powers,  than  there  is  in  making 
a  substance  out  of  that  which  is  precisely  like  nothing,  and 
imagining  it  to  have  Almighty  powers.  Therefore,  an  imma- 
terial God  is  a  deified  Nothing,  and  all  his  worshippers  are 
atheistical  idolaters." 

Skilfully,  however,  as  the  Mormon  writer  puts  his  argu- 
ment, it  has  no  novelty.  The  celebrated  Soame  Jenyns, 
whose  life  was  written  by  Dr.  Johnson,  has  anticipated  the 
whole  of  it.  He  (like  the  Mormon  in  regard  to  an  Immaterial 
substance)  supposed  that  he  had  disproved  the  existence  of 
Eternity,  by  proving  that  its  definition  was  identical  with 
that  of  Nothing.  It  is  true,  that  both  the  Mormon's  "Imma- 
terial Substance"  and  Jenyn's  "  Eternity"  suffer  under  this 
apparent  confutation.  After  all,  the  controversy  only  regards 
a  matter  of  definition  :  What  is  nothing  ?  Mr.  Orson  Pratt 
presents  us  with  a  series  of  "six  definitions,"  as  so  many  aids 
to  the  exposition  of  his  own  idea.     Here  they  are  : — 

Definition  1. — Space  is  magnitude,  susceptible  of  division. 
Definition  2. — A  Point  is  the  negative  of  space,  or  the  zero  at 

which  a  magnitude  begins  or  terminates  :  it  is  not  susceptible 

of  division. 
Definition^. — Duration  is  not  magnitude,  but  time  susceptible 

of  division. 
Definition  4. — An  Instant  is  the  negative  of  duration,  or  the  zero 

at  which  duration  begins  or  terminates ;  it  is  not  susceptible  of 

division. 
Definition  5. — Matter  is  something  that  occupies  space  between 

any  two  instants,  and  is  susceptible  of  division,  and  of  being  re- 
moved from  one  portion  of  space  to  another. 
Definition  6. — Nothing  is  the  negative  of  space,  of  duration,  and 

of  matter ;  it  is  the  zero  of  all  existence. 

A  Point,  Instant,  and  Nothing,  here  enjoy  an  identity  of 


374  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

definition.  Neither  of  these  are  "  susceptible  of  division."  It 
is  scarcely  conceivable  how  an  elaborate  thinker,  such  as  Mr. 
Orson  Pratt  evidently  is,  could  thus  have  committed  himself, 
by  actually  recognizing  the  Idea,  not  of  one  substance  only, 
but  of  three  Substances  *  without  Parts."  A  "  Point,"  an 
"  Instant,"  and  a  "  Nothing," — each  insusceptible  of  division  ? 
He  appears  not  to  have  been  aware  that  he  had  reached  the 
conception  of  the  most  abstract  Being,  in  thus  identifying  it 
with  Nothing,  an  Instant,  and  a  Point,  and  had  made  an 
Affirmation  of  which  an  Euclid  or  a  Hegel  might  be  proud  ; 
that,  in  fact,  he  had  proved  the  very  case  that  he  sought  to 
subvert,  and  demonstrated  that  he  could  not  conduct  his  ar- 
gument without  inferring,  and  indeed  presuming,  the  existence 
of  that  "  Substance  without  Parts,"  against  which  he  was  ex- 
pressing such  a  holy  horror,  when  proposed  to  his  belief  in 
the  language  of  a  system  different  from  his  own. 

Philosophers  who  have  been  led,  in  their  investigation  of 
truth,  not  by  a  desire  to  establish  the  system  of  the  Mormons 
but  to  interpret  the  system  of  the  universe  by  the  light  of  a 
Divine  intelligence,  have  from  Plato  to  Oken,  recognized  the 
difficulty  which  so  puzzles  the  Mormon  materialist.  But 
they  have  seen  in  it  only  a  proof  that  the  Substances  so  iden- 
tified with  Nothing,  are  not  such  as  can  be  identified  with 
any  Thing — that  is,  with  aught  that  occupies  place  or  time  ; 
that  therefore,  they  cannot  be  properly  called  Things  at  all ; 
and  that  a  higher  term  must  be  found  to  distinguish  them 
from  all  possible  objects  of  sense,  and  to  class  them  in  a  "  cage 
of  rushes,"  a  category  of  their  own.  In  fact,  the  mind  has 
been  justly  led,  by  contemplations  such  as  these,  to  the  ap- 
prehension of  the  idea  of  Being  in  itself,  which,  though  in  the 
carnal  conception,  identical  with  nothing,  is  the  basis,  the 
boundary,  the  origin,  and  the  terminus  of  all ;  at  once  the 
"  Zero  of  all  existence,"  and  the  plenum.  It  is  in  this  sense, 
that  we  may  understand  the  leading  postulate  of  Hegel,  that 


DEATHS    OF    THE    WITNESSES.  875 

"  Seyn.  und  nicht  ist  dasselben."  "  Being  and  Nothing  is 
the  same" 

The  Mormons  have  shown  themselves,  in  accordance  with 
their  Materialism,  to  he  practical  political  economists.  The 
ordinary  statesman  is  too  apt,  in  the  affairs  of  the  world,  to 
make  little  account  of  men  of  their  order  of  mind.  Yet  have 
they  been,  at  all  times,  the  men  of  a  crisis — the  fomentors  of 
revolutions — the  authors  of  new  dispensations.  Pious  frauds 
to  such  individuals  are  no  more  than  legal  fictions  to  the  law- 
yer. They  serve  them  in  the  place  of  axioms  and  postulates ; 
they  are  assumptions  which  enable  them  to  take  the  first  step 
in  the  practical  argument  which  they  mean  to  maintain 
against  the  world.  To  them  they  are  unquestionable  data, 
and  the  more  supernatural  their  character  the  more  unques- 
tionable do  they  become.  Frequently  there  is  some  shadow 
of  a  fact,  which  serves  as  the  original  basis ;  this  soon,  how- 
ever, becomes  modified  into  fiction ;  and  ultimately  completed 
in  a  well-rounded  myth. 

Whatever  Joseph  Smith  may  have  been,  the  present  race 
of  Mormons  are  satisfied  with  him.  They  say — "  There  is 
our  statement ;  there  are  the  witnesses  ;  there  is  the  book." 
Armed  with  these  credentials,  the  Apostles  of  the  new  belief 
have  at  last  founded,  not  only  a  Church,  but  a  State. 

The  longer  the  original  imposture  has  remained  before  the 
world,  the  more  difficult  it  has  become  to  overthrow  it. 
Joseph  Smith  was  slain,  and  it  acquired  sanctity  in  the  eyes 
of  his  followers.  Other  "  witnesses"  drop  off,  and  the  myth 
becomes  more  and  more  mythological.  Thus,  we  learn  from 
an  obituary  in  the  Millennial  Star  (July  1st,  1850),  that 
one  of  the  "  three  witnesses"  has  lately  died.  "  Elder  Wal- 
lace informs  us,  that  Oliver  Cowdery  died  last  February,  of 
consumption.  Brother  Cowdery  is  one  of  the  '  three  wit- 
nesses' to  the  Book  of  Mormon.  For  rebellious  conduct  he 
was  expelled  from  the  Church  some  years  since.     Although 


S7G  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

he  stood  aloof  from  the  Church  for  several  years,  he  never,  in 
a  single  instance,  cast  the  least  doubt  on  the  truth  of  his  for- 
mer testimony.  Sometime  in  1847  or  1848,  he  sought  to  be 
re-admitted  to  the  fellowship  of  the  Saints.  His  return  to  the 
fold  was  hailed  with  great  joy  by  the  Saints,  who  still  re- 
membered him  with  kindly  recollection,  as  one  who  had  suf- 
fered much  in  the  first  rise  of  the  Church.  He  has  now  gone 
the  way  of  all  the  earth.  May  he  rest  in  peace,  to  come 
forth  in  the  morning  of  the  first  resurrection  unto  eternal  life, 
is  the  earnest  desire  of  all  Saints." 

A  similar  record  will  shortly,  in  the  natural  course  of  things, 
be  made  of  the  other  witnesses;  the  seal  of  the  grave  will  be 
set  upon  their  testimony  ;  and  thus  Mormonism — even  if  Sid- 
ney Rigdon  should  divulge  his  secrets — will,  to  the  hearts  of 
thousands,  who  would  believe  it  on  far  less  evidence — stand  as 
firm  as  Buddhism  stands,  or  Mahomedanism,  or  any  other 
false  creed,  which  millions  believe  to  be  true. 

The  objections  to  Mormonism,  however,  are  not  of  a  purely 
doctrinal  character,  or  dependent  upon  the  truth  or  falsehood 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon.  It  is  alleged  that  the  Mormons  both 
tolerate  and  practise  polygamy  and  seduction.  This  charge 
has  been  made  against  them  in  many  quarters. 

According  to  Mr.  Bowes,  the  author  of  the  pamphlet  from 
which  we  have  already  quoted,  the  social  life  of  the  Mormons 
is  an  extensive  and  well-organized  system  of  licentiousness. 
Joseph  Smith,  he  tells  us,  taught  a  system  of  polygamy  ;  that 
he  sought  to  seduce  Nancy  Rigdon,  Sarah  M.  Pratt,  and  oth- 
ers ;  that,  in  some  instances,  he  was  repulsed,  in  others,  he 
succeeded.  Joseph  Smith  is  also  accused  of  having  endeavored 
to  secure  Martha  II.  Brotherton,  once  of  Manchester,  for  his 
friend  Brigham  Young  ;  in  both  cases  attempting  to  influence 
his  victims  by  persuading  them  that  he  had  received  a  revela- 
tion from  God,  justifying  adultery,  seduction,  and  other  sins. 
A  letter  from  Martha  Brotherton  sets  forth  the  whole  charge 


LETTER    FROM    MARTHA    BROTIIERTON.  377 

against  Joseph  Smith  and  Brigham  Young,  and  if  to  be  be- 
lieved, proves  it : — 

"  I  had  been  at  Nauvoo  near  three  weeks,  during  which  time  my 
father's  family  received  frequent  visits  from  Elders  Brigham  Young 
and  Heber  C.  Kimball,  two  of  the  Mormon  Apostles ;  when,  early 
one  morning,  they  both  came  to  my  brother-in-law's  (John  ZVII1- 
wrick's)  house,  at  which  place  I  then  was  on  a  visit,  and  particularly 
requested  me  to  go  and  spend  a  few  days  with  them.  I  told  them  I 
could  not  at  that  time,  as  my  brother-in-law  was  not  at  home ;  how- 
ever, they  urged  me  to  go  the  next  day  and  spend  one  day  with  them. 
The  day  being  fine,  I  accordingly  went.  *  *  *  *  He  led  me  up  some 
stairs  to  a  small  room,  the  door  of  which  was  locked,  and  on  it  the 
following  inscription  :  '  Positively  no  admittance.'  He  observed, 
'  Ah  !  brother  Joseph  must  be  sick,  for,  strange  to  say,  he  is  not  here. 
Come  down  into  the  tithing-office,  Martha.'  He  then  left  me  in  the 
tithing-office,  and  went  out,  I  know  not  where.  In  this  office  were 
two  men  writing,  one  of  whom,  William  Clayton,  I  had  seen  in  Eng- 
land ;  the  other  I  did  not  know.  Young  came  in,  and  seated  him- 
self before  me,  and  asked  where  Kimball  was.  I  said  he  had  gone 
out.  He  said  it  was  all  right.  Soon  after,  Joseph  came  in,  and 
spoke  to  one  of  the  clerks,  and  then  went  up  stairs,  followed  by 
Young.  Immediately  after,  Kimball  came  in.  '  Now,  Martha,'  said 
he,  '  the  Prophet  has  come  ;  come  up  stairs.'  I  went,  and  we  found 
Young  and  the  Prophet  alone.  I  was  introduced  to  the  Prophet  by 
Young.  Joseph  offered  me  his  seat ;  and,  to  my  astonishment,  the 
moment  I  was  seated,  Joseph  and  Kimball  walked  out  of  the  room, 
and  left  me  with  Young,  who  arose,  locked  the  door,  closed  the  win- 
dow, and  drew  the  curtain.  He  then  came  and  sat  before  me,  and 
said,  'This  is  our  private  room,  Martha.'  'Indeed,  sir,'  said  I,  'I 
must  be  highly  honored  to  be  permitted  to  enter  it.'  He  smiled,  and 
then  proceeded — '  Sister  Martha,  I  want  to  ask  you  a  few  questions; 
will  you  answer  them  ?'  '  Yes,  sir,'  said  I.  ******  To 
come  to  the  point  more  closely,'  said  he, '  have  not  you  an  affection 
for  me,  that,  were  it  lawful  and  right,  you  could  accept  of  me  for 
your  husband  and  companion  ?'*****  I  therefore  said, 
'Jf  it  was  lawful  and  right,  perhaps  I  might;  but  you  know,  sir,  it 
is  not.'     '  Well,  but,'  said  he,  ■  brother  Joseph  has  had  a  revelation 


378  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

from  God  that  it  is  lawful  and  right  for  a  man  to  have  two  wives  , 
for,  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Abraham,  so  it  shall  be  in  these  last  days, 
and  whoever  is  the  first  that  is  willing  to  take  up  the  cross  will  re- 
ceive the  greatest  blessings ;  and  if  you  will  accept  of  me,  I  will 
take  you  straight  to  the  celestial  kingdom ;  and  if  you  will  have  me 
in  this  world,  I  will  have  you  in  that  which  is  to  come,  and  brother 
Joseph  will  marry  us  here  to-day,  and  you  can  go  home  this  evening, 
and  your  parents  will  not  know  anything  about  it.'  '  Sir,'  said  I, '  I 
should  not  like  to  do  anything  of  the  kind  without  the  permission  of 
my  parents.'  ******  Well,'  said  he,  '  I  will  have  a  kiss, 
any  how,'  and  then  rose,  and  said  he  would  bring  Joseph.  He  then 
unlocked  the  door,  and  took  the  key,  and  locked  me  up  alone.  He 
was  absent  about  ten  minutes,  and  then  returned  with  Joseph. 
1  Well,'  said  Young, '  sister  Martha  would  be  willing  if  she  knew  it 
was  lawful  and  right  before  God.'  '  Well,  Martha,'  said  Joseph, '  it 
is  lawful  and  right  before  God — I  know  it  is.  Look  here,  sis ;  don't 
you  believe  in  me  ?'  I  did  not  answer.  '  Well,  Martha,'  said  Joseph, 
'  just  go  a-head,  and  do  as  Brigham  wants  you  to — he  is  the  best 
man  in  the  world,  except  me.'  '  O  !'  said  Brigham, '  then  you  are 
as  good.'  '  Yes,'  said  Joseph.  '  Well,'  said  Young, '  we  believe 
Joseph  to  be  a  Prophet.  I  have  known  him  near  eight  years,  and 
always  found  him  the  same.'  '  Yes,'  said  Joseph, '  and  I  know  that 
this  is  lawful  and  right  before  God,  and  if  there  is  any  sin  in  it,  I 
will  answer  for  it  before  God ;  and  I  have  the  keys  of  the  kingdom, 
and  whatever  I  bind  on  earth  is  bound  in  heaven,  and  whatever  I 
loose  on  earth  is  loosed  in  heaven  ;  and  if  you  will  accept  of  Brig- 
ham, you  shall  be  blessed — God  shall  bless  you,  and  my  blessing 
shall  rest  upon  you  ;  and  if  you  will  be  led  by  him  you  will  do  well ; 
for  I  know  Brigham  will  take  care  of  you  ;  and  if  he  don't  do  his 
duty  to  you,  come  to  me,  and  I  will  make  him  ;  and  if  you  do  not 
like  it  in  a  month  or  two,  come  to  me,  and  I  will  make  you  free 
again ;  and  if  he  turns  you  off,  I  will  take  you  on." 

Another  deposition,  sworn  by  Melissa  Schindle,  describes 
similar  practices.  Mr.  Bowes  also  describes  certain  hidden 
orgies  practised  in  the  Nauvoo  Temple,  which  are  suffi- 
ciently suspicious.     The  statement  is  sworn  to  by  J.  M.  Gee 


THE    "SPIRITUAL    WIFe"    SYSTEM.  379 

Van  Dusen  and  Maria  Van  Dusen,  who  profess  to  have  been 
initiated  into  the  mysteries.  The  seventh  degree  in  the  tem- 
ple relates  lo  "  the  Spiritual  Wife  Doctrine."  "  Those  who 
have  attained  to  this  are  taught,"  say  these  witnesses,  "  that 
they  are  no  more  under  obligations  to  their  husband,  if  they 
have  one,  and  it  is  their  privilege  to  leave  their  lawful  hus- 
band, and  take  another  ;"  and,  "it  is  the  privilege  of  some 
kings  to  have  scores,  yes,  hundreds  of  queens,  especially  the 
King  of  kings,  Brigham  Young,  the  present  Mormon  god  in 
California — (or  devil,  I  should  say,  for  I  have  reason  to  be- 
lieve he  is  the  wickedest  man  now  on  the  face  of  the  earth) ; 
and,  further,  as  we  are  all  made  kings  and  queens  by  this 
secret  farce  the  foundation  for  a  kingdom  is  laid  also.  And 
here  is  the  secret  of  the  Spiritual  Wife  Doctrine  : — Their 
kingdom  is  to  consist  in  their  own  posterity,  and  the  more 
wives  the  greater  opportunity  of  getting  a  large  kingdom,  of 
course  ;  so  it  is  an  object  to  one  who  holds  this  doctrine 
sacred,  as  thousands  do,  to  get  all  the  women  he  can,  con- 
sequently it  subjects  that  portion  of  the  female  sex  which  he 
has  influence  over  eventually  to  literal  ruin." 

This  reason,  which  may  hold  good  for  polygamy,  obviously 
does  not  for  adultery  or  fornication,  into  one  or  both  of  which 
the  Spiritual  Wife  practice  resolves  itself.  There  is,  in  such 
an  erroneous  argument,  ground  for  suspicion  of  prejudice  in 
relation  to  the  statement  adduced  as  its  basis.  And  as  the 
Mormon  authorities  positively  deny  that  Joseph  Smith  was 
guilty  of  the  charge  often  alleged  in  justificating  his  murder, 
it  is  a  motive  of  caution  in  the  receipt  of  evidence.  We 
must  remember,  too,  that  Smith  universally,  in  all  his  let- 
ters, revelations,  and  speeches,  denounced  adultery  and  for- 
nication. Subject  as  all  founders  of  religious  systems  are  to 
calumny,  we  cannot  resist  the  doubt  that  there  may  have 
been  misrepresentation  and  exaggeration,  both  as  to  the  char- 
acter of  Joseph  Smith  and  the  cause  of  his  untimely  end. 


380  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

At  any  rate,  and  under  any  circumstances,  it  is  impossible  to 
justify  the  acts  of  his  enemies,  either  in  the  persecution  of 
his  followers,  or  in  the  circumstances  of  his  death.  The 
fanaticism  that  destroyed  him  is  to  be  condemned  quite  as 
strongly  as  his  own. 

It  is  further   stated,  that  the  Mormon  candidate  for  holy 
orders,    among   other   promises,   makes  oath,   that  he   "  will 
never  touch   a  daughter  of  Adam,  unless  she  be  given  him 
of   the    Lord," — thus    consecrating    licentiousness    with    the 
holiest    sanctions.      But    it    must    be    remarked    that    these 
charges   are  given  under  cover  of  "  secret  revelations  of  the 
church — none  but  the   faithful  being  permitted  to  have  the 
privilege"    of  prostituting  the    daughters  and  wives  of  their 
friends  and  acquaintances.     It  is  affirmed,  on  this  covert  evi- 
dence, that  the  Mormons  "  teach  that  this  system  is  what  we 
are  to  understand   by  the  blessings  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob."      We  are  further  told  that  there  is  an  institution  of 
"  Cloistered   Saints,"  which  forms  "  the  highest  order  of  the 
Mormon  harem,   and  is  composed  of  women,  whether  mar- 
ried or  unmarried,   as  secret  spiritual   wives."     This  is  Mr. 
Bowes's  statement  ;  who  likewise  requires  us  to  believe  that 
"  When  an  apostle,  high  priest,  elder,  or  scribe,  conceives  an 
affection  for  a  female,  and  has  ascertained  her  views  on  the 
subject,   he  communicates  confidentially  to   the  prophet  his 
love  affair,  and  requests  him  to  inquire  of  the  Lord  whether 
or  not  it  would  be  right  and  proper  for  him  to  take  unto  him- 
self this  woman   for    his    spiritual    wife.      It   is    no   obstacle 
whatever  to   this   spiritual   marriage   if  one  or  both  of   the 
parties   should  happen  to   have  a  husband  or  wife  already 
united  to  them  according  to  the  laws  of  the  land." 

"  The  prophet,"  continues  Mr.  Bowes,  "  puts  this  singular 
question  to  the  Lord,  and  if  he  receives  an  answer  in  the 
affirmative,  which  is  always  the  case  where  the  parties  are 
in  favor  with  the  president,  the  parties  assemble  in  the  lodge- 


THE    "SPIRITUAL   WIFfc"    DOCTRINE.  381 

room,  accompanied  by  a  duly  authorized  administrator,  and 
place  themselves,  kneeling,  before  the  altar,  the  administrator 
commences  the  ceremony  by  saying — - 

"You,  separately  and  jointly,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ, 
the  Son  of  God,  do  solemnly  covenant  and  agree  that  you 
will  not  disclose  any  matter  relating  to  the  sacred  act  now  in 
progress  of  consummation,  whereby  any  Gentile  shall  come  to 
a  knowledge  of  the  secret  purposes  of  this  order,  or  whereby 
the  saints  may  suffer  persecution,  your  lives  being  the  forfeit." 

After  the  vow  of  assent  is  given  by  each  of  the  pair,  the 
administrator  proceeds  to  pronounce  them  "  one  flesh,  in  the 
name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost," 

"  The  parties,"  it  is  said,  by  the  same  authority,  "  leave 
the  cloister  with  generally  a  firm  belief,  at  least  on  the  part 
of  the  female,  in  the  sacredness  and  validity  of  the  cere- 
monial, and  consider  themselves  as  united  in  spiritual  mar- 
riage, the  duties  and  privileges  of  which  are  in  no  particular 
different  from  those  of  any  other  marriage  covenant." 

Among  the  stray  statements  quoted  on  more  or  less  evi- 
dence touching  this  subject,  we  find  that  William  Arrow- 
smith,  before  mentioned,  "  talked  to  Joseph  Smith  about 
Martha  Brotherton's  case.  Smith  did  not  deny  what  Martha 
relates,  but  stated  that  Brigham  Young  and  he  did  it  to  try 
her,  as  they  had  heard  an  evil  report  of  her."  We  are  told, 
also,  upon  the  same  sort  of  authority,  that  "  Whelock,"  an- 
other Mormon  leader,  married  three  wives,  the  first  Parish, 
the  second  Rose.  Grand  jury  took  him  up  for  bigamy.  He 
married  a  decent  girl  at  Birmingham,  and  she  would  have 
to  live  with  the  American  wives,  educated  in  bad  families." 

Accusations  like  these  naturally  lead  us  to  look  into  the 
recognized  documents  of  the  Mormons  themselves  for  cor- 
roboration and  support.  We  turn,  accordingly,  to  "The 
Book  of  Doctrines   and  Covenants,"  for  such  articles  of  law 


382  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

and  regulation  as  may  relate  to  these  alleged  practices. 
These  revelations,  it  should  be  observed,  notwithstanding  the 
limitation  in  the  title-page,  are  not  all  given  to  Joseph  Smith, 
but  are  extended  to  divers  of  his  apostles,  likewise.  In  one 
purporting  to  be  received  by  Martin  Harris,  the  opulent  Mor- 
mon already  spoken  of  as  one  of  the  witnesses,  and  who  is 
warned  in  it  "not  to  covet"  his  "  own  property,  but  impart  it 
freely  to  the  printing  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,"  we  find  this 
admonition  published: — "And  again  I  command  thee,  that 
thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor's  wife,  nor  seek  thy  neigh- 
bor's life."  Not  less  explicit  is  the  revelation  vouchsafed  to 
Joseph  Smith  himself. 

"  And  again,  I  say,  thou  shalt  not  kill ;  but  he  that  killeth 
shall  die.  Thou  shalt  not  steal :  and  he  that  stealeth  and 
will  not  repent,  shall  be  cast  out.  Thou  shalt  not  lie  ;  he 
that  lieth  and  will  not  repent,  shall  be  cast  out.  Thou  shalt 
love  thy  wife  with  all  thy  heart,  and  shalt  cleave  unto  her 
and  none  else  ;  and  he  that  looketh  upon  a  woman  to  lust 
after  her,  shall  deny  the  faith,  and  shall  not  have  the  Spirit, 
and  if  he  repents  not,  he  shall  be  cast  out.  Thou  shalt  not 
commit  adultery  ;  and  he  that  committeth  adultery  and  re- 
penteth  not  shall  be  cast  out ;  but  he  that  has  committed 
adultery  and  repents  with  all  his  heart,  and  forsaketh  it,  and 
doeth  it  no  more,  thou  shalt  forgive  ;  but  if  he  doeth  it  again, 
he  shall  not  be  forgiven,  but  shall  be  cast  out.  Thou  shalt 
not  speak  evil  of  thy  neighbor,  nor  do  him  any  harm.  Thou 
knowest  my  laws  concerning  these  things  are  given  in  my 
scriptures  ;  he  that  sinneth  and  repenteth  not,  shall  be  cast 
out. 

"  And,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  as  I  have  said  before,  he  that 
looketh  on  a  woman  to  lust  after  her,  or  if  any  shall  commit 
adultery,  in  their  hearts,  they  shall  not  have  the  Spirit,  but 
shall  deny  the  faith  and  shall  fear  :  wherefore  I,  the  Lord, 
have  said  that  the  fearful,  and  the  unbelieving,  and  all  liars, 


MORAL    AND    SOCIAL    ASPECTS    OF    MORMONISM.  383 

and  whosoever  loveth  and  maketh  a  lie,  and  the  whore- 
monger, and  the  sorcerer,  shall  have  their  part  in  that  lake 
which  burnetii  with  fire  and  brimstone,  which  is  the  second 
death.  Verily  I  say,  that  they  shall  not  have  part  in  the 
first  resurrection." 

Here,  too,  is  an  ordinance  directing  the  manner  of  proceed- 
ing with  adulterers. 

"  And  if  any  man  or  woman  shall  commit  adultery,  he  or 
she  shall  be  tried  before  two  elders  of  the  church  or  more, 
and  every  word  shall  be  established  against  him  or  her  by 
two  witnesses  of  the  church,  and  not  of  the  enemy  ;  but  if 
there  are  more  than  two  witnesses  it  is  better.  But  he  or 
she  shall  be  condemned  by  the  mouth  of  two  witnesses,  and 
the  elders  shall  lay  the  case  before  the  church,  and  the 
church  shall  lift  up  their  hands  against  him  or  her,  that  they 
may  be  dealt  with  according  to  the  law  of  God.  And  if  it 
can  be,  it  is  necessary  that  the  bishop  is  present  also.  And 
thus  ye  shall  do  in  all  cases  which  shall  come  before  you." 

Here  is  another  with  the  same  purport,  but  including  the 
fornicator. 

"Behold,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  whatever  persons 
among  you,  having  put  away  their  companions  for  the  cause 
of  fornication,  or  in  other  words,  if  they  shall  testify  before 
you  in  all  lowliness  of  heart  that  this  is  the  case,  ye  shall  not 
cast  them  out  from  among  you  ;  but  if  ye  shall  find  that  any 
persons  have  left  their  companions  for  the  sake  of  adultery, 
and  they  themselves  are  the  offenders,  and  their  companions 
are  living,  they  shall  be  cast  out  from  among  you.  And  again, 
I  say  unto  you,  that  ye  shall  be  watchful  and  careful,  with  all 
inquiry,  that  ye  receive  none  such  among  you  if  they  are  mar- 
ried ;  and  if  they  are  not  married,  they  shall  repent  of  all 
their  sins,  or  ye  shall  not  receive  them." 

Here  likewise  is  an  ordinance  relating  to  marriage. 

"  And  again,  I  say  unto  you,  that  whoso  forbiddcth  to  marry 


384  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

is  net  ordained  of  God,  for  marriage  is  ordained  of  God  unto 
man  ;  wherefore  it  is  lawful  that  he  should  have  one  wife, 
and  they  twain  shall  be  one  flesh,  and  all  this  that  the  earth 
might  answer  the  end  of  its  creation,  and  that  it  might  be 
filled  with  the  measure  of  man.  according  to  his  creation  be- 
fore the  world  was  made." 

Finally,  the  charge  with  which  we  are  dealing  is  met  in  a 
direct  and  positive  manner,  as  follows  : — 

"  All  legal  contracts  of  marriage  made  before  a  person  is 
baptized  into  this  church  should  be  held  sacred  and  fulfilled. 
Inasmuch  as  this  church  of  Christ  has  been  reproached  with 
the  crime  of  fornication,  and  polygamy  ;  we  declare  that  we 
believe  that  one  man  should  have  one  wife  ;  and  one  woman 
but  one  husband,  except  in  case  of  death,  when  either  is  at 
liberty  to  marry  again.  It  is  not  right  to  persuade  a  woman 
to  be  baptized  contrary  to  the  will  of  her  husband  ;  neither 
is  it  lawful  to  influence  her  to  leave  her  husband.  All  chil- 
dren are  bound  by  law  to  obey  their  parents ;  and  to  influ- 
ence them  to  embrace  any  religious  faith,  or  be  baptized,  or 
leave  their  parents  without  their  consent,  is  unlawful  and  un- 
just. We  believe  that  husbands,  parents,  and  masters,  who 
exercise  control  over  their  wives,  children,  and  servants,  and 
prevent  them  from  embracing  the  truth,  will  have  to  answer 
for  that  sin." 

Several  of  the  Epistles  which  are  to  be  found  scattered 
through  the  publications  of  the  sect,  show  that  those  in  au- 
thority are  actuated  by  an  earnest  desire  to  remove  all  cause 
for  scandal  in  reference  even  to  the  most  ordinary  intercourse 
between  the  sexes,  and  if  they  are  to  be  judged  by  their  writ- 
ings, we  may  assume  that  their  efforts  are  continually  directed 
towards  the  attainment  of  a  higher  system  of  morality  than 
that  commonly  in  vogue.  For  instance,  in  a  letter  to  the 
Saints  by  Orson  Pratt  and  Orson  Spencer,  we  find  the  writers 
addressing  those  under  their  charge  in  the  following  terms  : — 


MORAL    AND    SOCIAL    ASPECTS    OF    MORMONISM.  385 

"  The  sharp  edge  of  persecution  is  whetted  to  unwonted  keenness 
by  lewd  men,  who  turn  the  grace  of  God  into  lasciviousness,  and 
bring  scandal  and  stigma  upon  that  priesthood  which  is  ordained  to 
save  the  human  family.  When  one  member  of  the  priesthood  is 
polluted,  however  obscure,  the  whole  body  is  sickened  by  the  con- 
tagion. Speedy  amputation  often  becomes  painfully  necessary.  All 
heaven  is  pervaded  with  one  common  spirit  of  indignation.  We  feel 
as  though  something  like  fratricide,  or  slaying  of  our  brethren  had 
been  attempted :  the  wound  is  in  the  house  of  our  friends.  But 
Zion  will  not  always  mourn.  Judgment  is  now  given  into  her  hand, 
and  the  workers  of  iniquity  shall  be  cut  off,  and  the  stench  of  their 
detestable  deeds  will  follow  them :  and  when  the  seducer's  and  adul- 
terer's bones  are  mouldering  in  the  dust,  the  scent  of  his  abominable 
deeds  will  bring  upon  his  memory  the  bitter  imprecations  of  the 
righteous.  While  the  law  of  God  has  been  but  imperfectly  appre- 
ciated, even  by  many  of  the  Church,  these  things  may  have  been 
bearable  through  false  tradition ;  yet,  the  time  is  now,  when  the 
cloak  of  charity  cannot,  and  will  not,  screen  such  offenders.  Two 
instances  of  gross  lewdness  have  occurred  among  the  elders  of  this 
land,  and  we  have  strictly  enjoined  the  prohibition  of  their  re-baptism 
or  reunion  with  the  Church,  without  a  verbal  application  to  the  First 
Presidency,  residing  far  distant  in  Zion.  Although  the  spirit  of  se- 
duction and  lewdness  has  occasionally  invaded  the  Church  in  its 
purest  state,  it  has  never  obtained  a  particle  of  fellowship,  neither 
will  it  do  so  in  any  future  time,  from  any  faithful  servant  of  God. 
And  we  distinctly  say  to  the  Saints  in  Britain,  let  no  artifice  or  cun- 
ningly devised  tale  ever  be  regarded  as  an  apology  for  this  gross 
immorality.  No  grade  of  office  whatever  will  ever  authorize  any 
one  to  teach  or  practise  this  abomination.  This  Church  is  a  purifier, 
and  will  refine  its  members  as  silver ;  and  men  must  not  think  to 
bring  into  its  sacred  enclosure  the  abominations  of  the  Gentiles,  who 
are  an  adulterous  and  wicked  generation — strange  children — con- 
ceived in  sin  and  shapen  in  iniquity. 

"  Not  so  with  the  Church  of  the  living  God.  Their  marriage 
vows  are  sacred,  and  cannot  be  violated  with  impunity :  their  off- 
spring are  legitimate,  and  not  bastards  conceived  in  sin,  but  holy 
unto  the  Lord ;  and  the  man  or  woman  in  this  Church  that  con- 
tributes to  illegitimacy,  thereby  entailing  upon  his  or  her  offspring 

25 


386  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

the  curse  of  exclusion  from  the  congregation  of  the  Lord,  to  the 
third  generation,  he  or  she  that  does  it  becomes  detestable  in  the 
eyes  of  the  Lord  and  all  good  people,  and  their  condemnation  will 
not  slumber.  Let  none  be  deceived  in  this  matter,  for  the  eyes  of 
the  Lord  will  penetrate  every  work,  and  the  spirit  that  is  confirmed 
upon  the  Saints  will  bear  witness  against  all  such  like  abominations, 
and  no  work  of  iniquity  will  or  can  possibly  escape  detection  in  due 
time.  The  nations  of  the  earth  are  corrupt  and  abominable  in  these 
things  j  but  they  that  bear  the  message  of  the  Lord  must  be  clean : 
they  must  keep  themselves  undefiled,  or  share  in  the  plagues  of 
Babylon.  Pitiable  is  the  condition  of  that  man  who  has  made  com- 
merce of  the  gifts  of  the  priesthood,  like  Esau.  His  strength  is 
gone,  like  unto  Samson's  when  shorn  of  his  locks,  and  he  becomes 
an  easy  prey  to  his  enemies.  Who  then,  among  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  men,  will  lay  hold  upon  the  skirts  of  such  fallen  repro- 
bates in  order  to  obtain  salvation  ?  Let  those  who  have  already 
spotted  their  garments  with  these  Gentile  practices,  prove  a  suffi- 
cient ensample  to  deter  all  others.  Let  the  beacon-light  of  a  few 
examples  keep  others  from  the  rocks  and  quicksands  where  scat- 
tered wrecks  fearfully  remonstrate  and  warn  ! 

"  Dear  brethren,  no  false  delicacy  shall  forbid  us  from  speaking 
plainly  to  you  upon  this  subject.  Lust,  when  it  is  conceived,  bring- 
eth  forth  sin.  The  pure  in  heart  have  no  occasion  to  mistake  this 
infallible  precursor  and  antecedent  to  sin :  it  is  easily  discoverable. 
It  is  only  when  the  invading  foe  is  welcomed  and  cherished  that  sin 
can  ever  be  the  result.  Here  is  opportunity  afforded  for  to  consider, 
reflect,  and  beware !  Whatever  of  sexual  manners,  dress,  or  inti- 
macy is  known  to  cherish  forbidden  or  ungovernable  lusts,  may  be 
as  surely  known  to  produce  sin.  The  familiar  usages  of  one  nation 
may  not  be  equally  compatible  with  the  purity  of  another  people,  ac- 
customed to  other  usages.  We  do  not  complain  of  the  manners  and 
dress  of  any  nation,  so  long  as  they  are  compatible  with  purity  and 
the  law  of  God.  The  salutation  by  kissing  was  practised  in  the 
Jewish  nation,  and  it  was  tolerated  among  the  members  of  the 
primitive  Church  of  Christ ;  but  it  was  by  no  means  a  law  or  neces- 
sary duty. 

"  The  first  transgression  introduced  the  necessity  of  a  covering, 
and  urged  the  importance  of  fresh  laws  regulating  acts  of  decency. 


MORAL    AND    SOCIAL    ASPECTS    OF    MORMONISM.  387 

Perfect  purity  would  require  no  law  to  determine  what  is  modest  or 
what  is  perilous  to  virtue.  The  law  is  made  for  transgressors. 
When  men  can  keep  themselves  pure  in  body,  soul,  and  spirit,  they 
then  become  as  wise  virgins,  and  emerge  into  the  perfect  law  of 
boundless  liberty.  No  person  can  be  a  successful  candidate  for  the 
celestial  prize  that  does  not  keep  the  law  in  all  these  respects.  Men 
must  learn  to  approximate  to  that  state  of  perfect  purity  in  which 
the  law  is  written  upon  their  hearts,  so  as  to  supersede  the  necessity 
of  outward  ordinances  which  will  perish  with  the  using. 

"  The  pure  in  heart,  who  are  fully  established  in  the  law  of  conti- 
nency,  might  use  the  ancient  salutation  of  a  holy  kiss,  and  other  in- 
nocent familiarities  of  a  kindred  nature,  with  perfect  impunity.  But 
not  so  with  all.  We  have  need  to  write  unto  some,  even  as  carnal 
and  babes  in  Christ.  Such  have  not  already  attained  that  steadfast- 
ness to  which  the  Gospel  calls  them.  What  then  ?  Is  it  not  better 
that  the  strong  bear  the  infirmities  of  the  weak,  and  forego  any  prac- 
tice that  may  cause  their  brother  to  offend  ? 

"  We  therefore  think  it  wise  and  expedient,  and  give  it  as  our 
counsel  accordingly  to  the  English  Saints,  to  abstain  entirely  from 
these  unbecoming  familiarities  through  which  some  have  been  al- 
ready led  into  gross  transgression. 

"  If  the  elders  wish  to  save  their  congregations,  and  obtain  a  good 
degree  for  themselves  and  others  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  let  them 
abstain,  rather,  from  all  appearance  of  evil.  Let  those  familiarities 
which  are  often  the  legitimate  expression  of  innocence  and  the  pur- 
est love,  be  avoided,  because  they  may  be  spoken  evil  of  by  those 
that  are  without,  and  because  the  inexperienced  confidence  of  young 
members  is  liable  to  be  betrayed,  and  made  a  bait  to  folly  and  crime. 
We  write  unto  presidents  of  conferences  as  unto  wise  men,  to  whom 
a  hint  will  be  sufficient,  and  who  will  readily  understand  what  the 
will  of  the  Lord  is  in  such  matters.  We  do  not  wish  to  multiply 
arbitrary  laws  among  a  people  that  are  destined  by  the  grace  of  God, 
and  their  own  trustworthiness,  to  rise  above  all  law  into  the  regions 
of  ineffable  light,  purity,  and  glory.  But  we  do,  nevertheless,  intend 
to  establish  laws  against  the  invasion  of  the  unruly  and  transgres- 
sors. And  we  wish  the  elders  and  holy  women  who  are  mothers,  to 
co-operate  with  us  against  the  intrusion  of  Gentile  abominations. 
And  we  do  declare,  with  all  sobriety  in  the  fear  of  God,  and  by  the 


388  HISTORY    OF   THE    MORMONS. 

authority  we  hold  from  God  in  the  holy  priesthood,  that  a  curse  shall 
rest  upon  transgressors,  who,  with  knowing  wickedness,  shall  here- 
after violate  the  laws  of  virtue  and  chastity.  This  is  the  voice  of 
the  priesthood  in  Zion,  and  the  voice  of  God,  from  the  foundation 
of  the  world.  Hear  it,  oh  ye  Saints  throughout  the  British  isles  and 
adjacent  countries !  While  God  is  gathering,  and  will  continue  to 
gather  his  sons  from  afar,  and  his  daughters  from  the  ends  of  the 
earth,  he  will  not  tolerate  the  obstruction  of  the  great  and  last  gath- 
ering by  the  abominations  of  reprobates,  that  have  been  cast  out  as 
refuse  silver,  and  by  their  slanderous  tales  of  abomination,  palmed 
upon  his  infant  cause." 

In  the  Third  General  Epistle  of  the  Presidency  we  find 
some  regulations  which  redound  highly  to  the  credit  of  the 
Mormon  authorities.  But  leaving  the  question  of  the  polyg- 
amy and  seduction  alleged  to  have  been,  or  to  be  still  prac- 
tised by  the  Mormons,  to  be  decided  by  the  reader,  upon  the 
evidence  on  both  sides  which  we  have  produced,  we  proceed 
to  other  points. 

"  Many  brethren  having  gone  to  the  Gold  Mines,  and  many  are 
about  going,  and  all '  by  counsel?  as  they  say,  and,  no  doubt,  truly. 
A  few  have  gone  according  to  the  advice  of  those  whose  right  it  is 
to  counsel  the  Saints,  and  such  are  right,  inasmuch  as  they  do  right ; 
but  much  the  greater  portion  have  gone  according  to  the  counsel  of 
their  own  wills  and  covetous  feelings.  Such  might  have  done  more 
good  by  staying  in  the  Valley,  and  laboring  to  prepare  the  way  for 
the  reception  of  the  brethren ;  but  it  is  not  too  late  for  them  to  do 
good  and  be  saved  if  they  will  do  right  in  their  present  sphere  of 
action,  although  they  will  not  get  so  great  a  reward  as  they  would 
have  done  had  they  performed  the  greater  good. 

"  If,  at  the  mines  they  will  listen  to  the  counsel  of  those  men  who 
have  been  appointed  to  counsel  them,  and  they  return  to  work  right- 
eousness, and  do  as  they  would  be  done  unto,  and  acknowledge  God 
in  all  their  ways,  they  may  yet  attain  unto  great  glory ;  but  if  they 
shall  cease  to  hearken  to  counsel,  and  make  gold  their  god,  and  re- 
turn among  the  Saints,  filled  with  avarice,  and  refuse  to  lend,  or 
give,  or  suffer  their  money  to  be  used  unless  they  can  make  a  great 


SOCIAL   ASPECTS    OF    MORMONISM.  389 

speculation  thereby,  and  will  see  their  poor  brethren,  who  have  toiled 
all  the  day,  in  want  and  in  perplexity,  and  they  will  not  relieve,  but 
keep  the  dust  corroding  in  their  purses,  it  had  been  better  for  them 
if  a  millstone  had  been  hanged  about  their  necks,  and  they  had 
been  drowned  in  the  depths  of  the  sea,  before  they  had  departed  from 
the  right  ways  of  the  Lord ;  for  if  they  shall  continue  thus  to  harden 
their  hearts ;  and  to  shut  up  their  bowels  of  compassion  against 
the  needy,  they  will  go  down  to  the  pit  with  all  idolaters,  in  a  mo- 
ment they  are  not  aware,  with  as  little  pity  as  they  have  manifested 
to  their  poor  brethren,  who  would  have  borrowed  of  them  but  have 
been  sent  empty  away. 

"  Gold  is  good  in  its  place — it  is  good  in  the  hands  of  a  good  man 
to  do  good  with,  but  in  the  hands  of  a  wicked  man  it  often  proves  a 
curse  instead  of  a  blessing.  Gold  is  a  good  servant,  but  a  miserable, 
blind,  and  helpless  god,  and  at  last  will  have  to  be  purified  by  fire, 
with  all  its  followers." 

Now,  it  would  be  easy  to  charge  the  cupidity  of  the  indi- 
viduals here  reproved  on  the  Mormon  community,  but  it  would 
be  manifestly  unjust.  We  must  recognize  in  such  aberrations 
the  inevitable  struggle  between  self-will  and  newly  established 
law.  Further  provision  is  made  against  the  evil  complained 
of  in  the  following  express  rules  and  statement  :— 

"  Elders  Amasa  Lyman  and  Charles  C.  Rich  will  continue  their 
operations  at  Western  California,  according  to  previous  instructions, 
and  not  only  keep  an  accurate  account  of  all  tithings  and  of  the  gen- 
eral proceedings  of  all  faithful  brethren,  that  we  may  know  of  their 
good  works,  and  hail  them  as  brethren  when  we  meet,  but  keep  a 
perfect  history  of  all  who  profess  to  be  Saints,  and  do  not  follow  their 
counsel,  pay  tithing,  and  do  their  duty,  and  report  the  same  to  us 
every  mail  that  they  and  their  works  may  be  entered  in  a  book  of  re- 
membrance in  Zion,  that  they  may  be  judged  therefrom,  and  not  im- 
pose upon  the  faithful ;  for  it  is  not  uncommon  for  men  to  say,  "  I 
can  do  more  good  if  I  go  to  the  mines,  than  I  can  to  stay  here,"  and 
we  want  to  prove  such,  and  know  whether  they  are  true  men  or 
liars. 

"  When  men,  professing  to  be  brethren,  go  to  the  mines  according 


390  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

to  their  own  counsel,  we  want  them  to  stay  until  they  are  satisfied 
— until  they  have  obtained  enough  to  make  them  comfortable,  and 
have  some  to  do  good  with  and  a  disposition  to  use  it  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  not  run  back  here  in  a  few  months,  lock  up  their  gold, 
boast  how  much  they  have  made,  doing  no  good  themselves,  and 
hindering  everybody  else  from  doing  good  over  whom  they  have  an 
influence  ;  curse  God,  deny  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  when  spring  opens, 
run  to  the  mines  again,  as  some  have  done.  Let  such  men  remem- 
ber that  they  are  not  wanted  in  our  midst ;  for  unless  they  speedily 
repent,  the  wrath  of  an  offended  Creator  will  suddenly  overtake 
them,  and  no  power  can  stay  it.  Let  such  leave  their  carcases  where 
they  do  their  work ;  we  want  not  our  burial-grounds  polluted  with 
such  hypocrites  ;  but  we  have  it  in  our  hearts  to  bless  all  men  who 
will  do  right,  whatever  their  occupation,  and  our  arms  are  ever  open 
to  embrace  such,  and  we  pray  for  all  men  who  are  ignorant,  or  out 
of  the  right  way,  that  our  Heavenly  Father  will  give  them  his  spirit, 
that  they  may  learn  and  do  right." 

Some  other  points  of  social  economy  are  touched  on  with 
like  wisdom  ;  such  as  the  emigration  fund,  and  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Deseret  University. 

"  We  would  urge  upon  all  Saints  the  importance  of  keeping  in 
view  the  Perpetual  Emigrating  Fund,  and  of  adding  thereto,  all  in 
their  power  the  present  season  \  for  every  succeeding  year  will  be 
more  and  more  eventful  in  the  progress  of  the  work  of  God,  and  more 
and  more  Saints  will  be  ready,  and  want  to  gather  to  Zion.  We 
■^warmly  anticipate  that  such  will  be  the  interest  felt,  and  the  funds 
collected  in  the  British  Isles,  that  we  can  commence  bringing  for- 
ward the  Saints,  from  that  region,  one  year  hence  ;  and  the  Presi- 
dency in  England  will  take  special  care  to  be  ready  to  act  on  future 
instructions  on  the  subject. 

"  Elders  of  Israel,  be  faithful  in  your  calling,  feed  the  sheep,  feed 
the  lambs  of  the  flock,  and  proclaim  the  gospel  in  all  simplicity, 
meekness,  and  love,  whenever  you  have  the  opportunity  as  it  shall 
be  given  you  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  you  will  always 
have  for  your  counsellor  if  you  are  faithful ;  and  let  all  the  Saints  give 
diligent  heed  unto  the  counsel  of  those  who  are  over  them  in  the  Lord, 


SOCIAL   ASPECTS    OF   MORMONISM.  391 

upholding  them  by  the  prayer  of  faith,  keeping  themselves  pure  and 
humble,  and  they  will  never  lack  wisdom  from  above,  and  by  faith 
and  works  search  out  your  way  to  Zion. 

"  Several  elders  have  been  appointed  missions  to  England,  Scot- 
land, the  Society  Islands,  the  States,  and  Western  California,  as  will 
be  seen  by  the  minutes  of  the  General  Conference,  of  the  6th  of 
April,  to  which  we  refer  for  particulars  concerning  any  business  then 
transacted. 

"  We  are  happy  in  saying  to  all,  that  a  brighter  day  is  dawning 
on  the  intellectual  prosperity  of  Zion  ;  that  the  University  recently 
established  by  the  State  of  Deseret,  bids  fair  to  accomplish  the  object 
for  which  it  was  instituted ;  that  it  is  under  the  supervision  of  faith- 
ful and  intelligent  men,  who  will  consider  no  labor  too  great  to  carry 
out  the  wishes  and  greatest  possible  good  of  those  for  whose  benefit 
the  institution  was  founded  :  and  we  earnestly  solicit  the  co-opera- 
tion of  all  the  Saints,  and  particularly  the  elders  in  all  nations,  to 
gather,  as  they  may  have  the  opportunity,  books  in  all  languages, 
and  on  every  science,  apparatus,  and  rare  specimens  of  art  and  na- 
ture, and  everything  that  may  tend  to  beautify  and  make  useful ;  and 
forward  or  bring  the  same  to  the  Regents  of  our  University,  for  the 
benefit  of  all  such  as  may  hereafter  seek  intelligence  at  their  hands." 

Mr.  Orson  Pratt,  in  an  "  Epistle  to  the  Saints  throughout 
Great  Britain,"  is  solicitous  for  the  purification  of  both  the 
state  and  church  from  unworthy  members.  The  following 
are  extracts  : — 

"  About  two  years  have  elapsed  since  I  was  appointed  to  preside 
over  the  Saints  in  this  land.  I  have  endeavored,  during  the  time,  to 
inform  myself  concerning  your  condition,  and  to  offer  such  counsel 
as  I  thought  best  adapted  to  your  circumstances.  If,  in  the  multi- 
plicity of  business  which  has  pressed  my  mind,  I  have  at  any  time 
erred,  it  has  not  been  intentionally.  It  has  been  my  constant  prayer 
and  study  to  know  the  will  of  God  concerning  you.  It  affords  me 
great  pleasure  to  know  that  the  churches  have  greatly  flourished 
since  I  have  been  in  your  midst,  and  that  many  thousands  have  been 
added  to  your  numbers.  Peace  and  union  have  also  prevailed  in 
almost  every  branch ;  while  the  Holy  Spirit  has  been  abundantly 


392  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

poured  forth  upon  you,  as  is  evident  from  the  miraculous  manifes- 
tation of  the  healing  power,  together  with  numerous  other  blessings 
enjoyed  throughout  the  land.  These  tokens  of  the  goodness  of  God 
towards  his  Saints  are  calculated  to  make  the  faithful  servants  of 
God  rejoice. 

"  The  wise  and  judicious  management  displayed  by  the  presidents 
of  conferences,  and  the  travelling  elders  under  them,  has  been  the 
principal  means  in  the  hands  of  God  in  extending  the  cause  of  truth 
in  the  British  Isles.  The  extensive  circulation  of  the  printed  word 
has  also  given  an  impetus  to  the  rolling  of  the  great  wheel  of  salva- 
tion. Strictness  of  discipline  in  plucking  off  dead  branches — in  puri- 
fying the  church  of  corrupt  members — and  in  laying  the  axe  at  ihi 
very  root  of  every  species  of  wickedness,  has  also  had  a  powerful  ten- 
dency to  strengthen  and  confirm  the  meek  and  humble,  and  to  enlighten 
the  eyes  of  the  honest  inquirer. 

"  Let  the  presiding  elders  of  every  conference  endeavor  to  inform 
their  minds  relative  to  the  condition  of  every  branch  under  their  re- 
spective jurisdictions.  See  whether  your  flocks  are  in  a  healthy  con- 
dition or  not.  The  Lord  has  made  you  the  shepherds  over  his  sheep : 
if  you  lose  the  sheep,  or  suffer  them  to  perish  through  your  neglect, 
they  will  be  required  at  your  hands.  Teach  the  presidents  of 
branches  to  look  diligently  after  all  the  members.  Counsel  them  to 
enforce  strict  discipline,  and  to  root  out  all  backbiting  and  evil-speak- 
ing one  against  another ;  for  this  is  a  great  evil,  and  tends  to  quar- 
rels, divisions,  strifes,  apostasy,  and  death.  If  the  backbiter  or  evil- 
speaker  will  not,  after  proper  admonitions,  reform  and  cease  his  evil 
practices,  let  fellowship  be  withdrawn  from  him,  and  let  all  know 
that  the  church  of  God  is  not  the  place  to  injure  and  devour  one  an- 
other. If  any  officer  or  member  under  your  charge  be  found  teach- 
ing or  practising  unvirtuous  doctrines,  let  him  be  dealt  with  strictly 
by  the  law  of  God  ;  and  if  the  president  of  a  conference  shall  trans- 
gress, or  teach  or  practise  any  iniquity,  let  the  same  be  reported  to 
us,  accompanied  with  the  proper  evidences ;  and  if  one  of  the 
Twelve,  or  the  president  of  the  Saints  in  Great  Britain,  shall  trans- 
gress the  law  of  virtue,  and  teach  or  practise  unrighteousness,  let 
the  presidents  of  conferences  inquire  into  the  same,  and  collect  the 
testimonies  thereof,  and  forthwith  transmit  the  documents  unto  the 
First  Presidency  at  head-quarters,  that  all  may  be  dealt  with  accord- 


LOCAL    ASPECTS    OF    MORMONISM.  «  893 

ing  to  the  law  of  heaven.  The  time  is  come  when  too  much  light 
and  knowledge  have  been  given  to  the  Saints  for  them  to  suffer 
themselves  to  be  imposed  upon  by  men  who  are  carried  away  with 
their  lusts.  And  we  say,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  that  the  displeas- 
ure of  heaven  shall  overtake  the  adulterer  unless  he  speedily  repent, 
and  his  name  shall  be  blotted  out  from  among  the  people  of  God. 
"  Woe  unto  them  that  commit  whoredoms,  saith  the  Lord  God  Al- 
mighty, for  they  shall  be  thrust  down  to  hell."  Woe  unto  them  who 
shall  betray  the  confidence  reposed  in  them,  and  shall  make  use  of 
their  authority  to  seduce  and  lead  astray  ignorant  and  silly  women, 
for,  except  they  repent,  their  authority  shall  perish  quickly  like  the 
dry  stubbie  before  the  devouring  flame.  Woe  unto  them  who  lie  and 
bear  false  witness  against  their  brother  or  sister  to  their  injury  ;  it 
were  better  for  them  that  they  were  sunk  in  the  depths  of  the  mighty 
ocean  than  to  offend  the  children  of  God.  Woe  unto  them  who 
steal,  for  their  deeds  shall  be  made  manifest,  and  justice  and  judg- 
ment shall  lay  hold  on  them  in  an  hour  they  think  not.  Woe  unto 
them  who  love  slander,  and  will  not  cease  to  speak  evil  of  their 
brother  and  sister,  for  they  shall  be  hated  of  God  and  man,  and  their 
hopes  shall  wither  away  and  perish.  Woe  unto  all  those  among  the 
Saints  who  shall  turn  from  their  righteousness  and  do  iniquity,  for 
the  great  day  of  the  Lord  is  at  hand,  and  their  portion  shall  be  among 
hypocrites  and  unbelievers." 

Such  language  as  this  in  their  public  documents,  together 
with  the  recorded  facts  of  the  excision  and  excommunication 
of  offending  members,  would  seem  to  exonerate  the  Mormon 
system  from  the  vices  of  Mormon  members.  They  also  prove, 
whatever  may  have  been  the  moral  state  of  Mormon  society 
in  time  past,  that  it  has  already  greatly  improved.  And  as 
to  the  accusations  against  their  founders,  even  when  made 
by  undoubtedly  pious  men,  the  Mormons  have  an  indisputably 
valid  answer,  which  they  have  thus  worded  for  themselves. 

"  Pious  men,  who  prayed  often,  and  fasted  frequently,  af- 
firmed that  Jesus  and  His  apostles  were  foul  impostors,  vile 
sabbath-breakers,  gluttons,  wine-bibbers,  treasonable  persons, 


394  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

not  fit  to  live.  Do  you  judge  Jesus  by  the  testimony  of  pious 
enemies  ?  No,  you  judge  his  character,  &c,  by  the  testimony 
of  friends.  Pursue  the  same  line  of  judgment  toward  Joseph 
Smith,  and  the  issue  is  triumph  :  his  bosom  burned  with  a 
love  to  humanity,  manly,  frank,  and  Godlike.  You  believe 
in  the  testimony  of  Moses  as  to  the  wonders  recorded  in  the 
Pentateuch,  yet  Moses  killed  the  Egyptian  and  hid  his  body 
in  the  sand  !  Joseph  Smith  never  did  anything  like  that. 
You  believe  and  receive  the  Psalms  and  Proverbs,  yet  David 
and  Solomon  sinned  foully  and  fearfully.  Let  your  reason 
and  common  sense  speak  and  judge  righteous  judgment.  A 
false  prophet  will  ever  teach  something  false :  Joseph  taught 
in  perfect  accordance  with  Scripture,  just  as  a  true  prophet 
must  do." 

The  enmity  excited  among  the  pious,  too,  had  its  natural 
ground  in  the  peculiar  doctrines  taught  by  the  new  sect. 
These  we  will  also  take  in  their  own  words  : — 

"  Some  of  the  leading  characteristics  of  the  Latter-Day 
Gospel  were  as  follows  :  It  declared  all  the  earth,  Christian, 
Jew,  Heathen,  and  Pagan,  to  be  living  in  wickedness,  unbe- 
lief, and  without  a  knowledge  of  God.  It  declared  that  the 
religion  of  Jesus  established  upon  the  earth  in  the  days  of  the 
primitive  apostles,  had  been  long  perverted  into  human  insti- 
tutions, without  either  the  form  or  power,  and  consequently 
were  not  acknowledged  of  God.  It  declared,  that  all  those 
calling  themselves  Christians  in  the  nineteenth  century,  were 
nothing  less  than  idolaters,  and  living  under  a  broken  covenant. 
It  declared  that  God  had  now  spoken  from  the  heavens,  and 
given  a  commission  to  man  to  go  forth  and  usher  in  the  dis- 
pensation of  the  fulness  of  times,  by  opening  the  kingdom  of 
God  to  Gentile  and  Jew.  It  declared  that  all  who  would  not 
humble  themselves,  and  go  forth  and  be  baptized  for  a  remis- 
sion of  tb?ir  sins,  and  have  the  imposition  of  hands  for  the 
•o«p&*     ;*  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  those  whom  God  had  called, 


OPPOSITION    TO    MORMONISM.  395 

would  never  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God,. or  be  saved  with 
an  everlasting  salvation.  It  declared  that  all  who  were 
without  prophets  and  apostles — the  spirit  of  inspiration  and 
immediate  revelation  from  God,  together  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
which  would  enable  men  to  dream  dreams,  see  visions,  and 
prophesy ;  speak  in  unknown  tongues,  and  work  miracles  ; 
were  not  yet  fellow-citizens  with  the  Saints,  or  of  the  house- 
hold of  God.  It  declared  that  this  was  the  stone  cut  out  of 
the  mountain  without  hands,  spoken  of  by  Daniel  and  the 
prophets,  and  that  it  would  roll  on  until  every  hostile  power 
upon  the  earth  had  fallen  before  it,  and  it  had  become  a  great 
kingdom,  and  filled  the  whole  earth.  Let  us  here  pause,  and 
inquire  :  Was  there  anything  in  all  this,  to  pamper  the  preju- 
dices of  the  public  mind,  and  thereby  gain  the  applause  of  the 
world  ?  On  the  contrary  ;  it  is  obvious,  that  had  the  inhabi- 
tants of  some  other  world  laid  their  heads  together,  to  concoct 
such  a  story  to  palm  upon  this  world,  as  would  stir  up  the 
bitterest  spirit  of  hatred  and  persecution,  they  could  not  have 
hit  upon  one  more  effectual  than  the  principles  embodied  in 
the  Latter-Day  Gospel. 

"  We  accordingly  find  that  the  gospel  met  the  opposition 
and  contempt  naturally  to  be  expected.  No  sooner  was  its 
first  proclamation  made,  than  both  earth  and  hell  were  in  a 
stew  to  find  adequate  means  to  put  a  stop  to  such  a  work ;  all 
manner  of  lies  and  slanderous  reports  were  put  in  circulation 
to  the  prejudice  of  those  who  obeyed  it,  everywhere.  The 
whole  artillery  of  the  learned  world  was  put  in  requisition  to 
bolster  up  such  lies  and  slanders,  and  men  were  warned,  both 
from  pulpit  and  press,  to  beware  of  the  impostors.  The  ser- 
vants of  the  Lord  knew  and  felt  they  were  so  treated ;  but 
still  they  preached  and  still  they  determined  to  know,  and  to 
glory  in  nothing  else.  Why  this,  if  they  were  impostors, 
they  must  have  yielded  to  the  contempt  it  called  forth.  But 
no,  they  preached  it,  and  succeeded.     And  yet  Jew  and  Gen- 


390  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

tile  hated  it.  What  could  carry  it  above  that  hatred  but  the 
power  of  God  ?  For,  as  was  to  be  expected  from  a  religion 
of  this  description,  making  such  pretensions,  and  with  a  world 
hostile  and  already  entrenched  in  power,  it  met  with  most 
formidable  opposition  and  violent  persecution  from  all  ranks, 
orders,  classes,  and  individuals  whose  interests  were  endangered 
or  craft  disturbed.  From  governors,  rulers,  inferior  magis- 
trates ;  from  priests  and  the  whole  train  of  idolatrous  Wor- 
shippers ;  from  a  lawless  rabble  multitude,  the  victim  and 
sport  of  every  passion  and  prejudice  ;  the  ready  instruments 
of  party  violence  ;  the  easy  dupes  of  designing  men,  and  the 
tumultuous  and  eager  executioners  of  wrath,  against  those  who 
had  become  the  object  of  their  hatred.  That  the  Latter-Day 
Saints  have  suffered  horrible  persecutions  is  a  fact  not  to  be 
denied,  after  all  the  publications  upon  the  subject,  and  the 
thousands  of  living  witnesses  who  at  this  moment  attest  its 
truth,  and  mourn  over  their  martyred  relatives. 

"  As  an  outline  of  what  is  contained  in  our  records  upon 
this  subject,  we  may  notice,  that  no  sooner  were  a  few  thou- 
sands of  the  Saints  settled  on  the  western  frontiers  of  Missouri, 
having  provided  themselves  with  comfortable,  and  many  of 
them  with  large  possessions,  and  having  by  industry  greatly 
improved  their  estates,  and  were  beginning  to  enjoy  some- 
ting  like  real  comfort,  than  the  storm  that  had  been  brewing 
against  them  in  the  hearts  of  their  enemies  broke  out  with 
uncontrollable  force  ;  and  large  bodies  of  Christians,  armed 
with  the  powers  of  mobocracy,  and  headed  by  their  ministers, 
with  the  Bible  in  one  hand  and  the  sword  in  the  other,  en- 
deavored to  annihilate  the  poor,  peaceful,  unoffending  Latter- 
Day  Saints ;  and  in  the  most  savage,  barbarous  manner  did 
they  drive  them  from  their  lands  and  possessions  in  the  midst 
of  a  severe  North  American  winter,  burning  their  dwelling- 
houses  and  other  buildings,  murdering  them  and  their  fam- 
ilies,  first  ravishing  and  then   murdering  their  wives   and 


OPPOSITION    TO    MORMON  ISM.  397 

daughters.  In  one  case  nineteen  of  them  had  hid  themselves 
in  an  old  smithy,  but  their  ruthless  pursuers  found  them  out 
and  butchered  them  to  a  man  ;  and  just  when  about  to  leave, 
thinking  that  the  work  of  slaughter  was  done  in  this  place, 
one  of  them  discovered  a  little  boy  hid  behind  the  bellows ;  him 
they  dragged  forth,  and  while  his  little  eyes  and  hands  were 
raised  to  heaven  in  earnest  entreaty  that  these  Christian  sav- 
ages might  have  mercy  upon  him,  one  of  them,  in  whose 
heart  the  last  spark  of  humanity  was  not  wholly  extinguished, 
ventured  to  plead  for  the  life  of  the  little  boy  ;  but  the  ready 
reply  of  one  and  all  was,  '  Away  with  him  ;  d — n  him,  if  he 
lives  he'll  be  a  Mormon  like  his  father,'  and  a  ball  from  a  gun 
quickly  scattered  his  brains  upon  the  floor. 

"  My  heart  sickens,  and  the  blood  freezes  in  my  veins  while 
I  write,  and  while  I  contemplate  the  worse  than  savage  atro- 
cities inflicted  upon  the  most  law-abiding,  peaceful,  unoffend- 
ing people  that  ever  graced  the  footstool  of  God.  Yes, — they 
drove  them  from  their  homes,  their  lands,  and  their  posses- 
sions. Stript,  wounded,  and  beaten,  they  were  compelled  to 
flee  from  all  they  had  in  or  of  the  world,  in  the  midst  of  a 
very  rigorous  winter.  It  would  have  sickened  the  heart  of 
the  wildest  savage  of  the  forest  to  see  their  young  infants, 
their  old  men  and  women,  their  sick  and  infirm,  Avith  many 
of  their  women  suffering  from  the  pangs  of  child-birth,  many 
of  them  too  premature  to  look,  or  even  hope  for  their  recovery, 
lying  scattered  here  and  there  across  the  bare  prairies,  with- 
out the  slightest  covering  to  shelter  them  from  the  pitiless 
pelting  storm,  or  the  bitter  frost  and  snow ;  so  that  many 
more  were  they  who  fell  martyrs  to  the  inclemency  of  winter, 
than  they  who  perished  by  the  sword,  and  much  more  bitter 
and  torturing  to  the  feelings  was  their  fate. 

"  It  will  not  be  expected  that  I  could  write  one-thousandth 
part  of  the  sufferings  of  the  Saints  at  the  period  alluded  to, 
neither  is  it  my  present  intention  so  to  do  ;  suffice  it  to  say, 


\ 


398  HISTORY    OF    THE    MORMONS. 

that  the  readiest  pen,  or  the  most  eloquent  tongue,  would 
come  far  short  of  the  reality.  To  know  would  be  to  have 
felt ;  and  even  then  the  knowledge  would  be  all  your  own — 
you  could  not  communicate  it  to  another. 

"  But  the  question  now  is,  did  these  cruelties  destroy  the 
work  of  God  ?  No,— so  far  from  destroying,  it  did  not  so 
much  as  retard  it  a  single  moment.  Nay,  it  went  on  with 
accelerated  speed ;  and  at  the  very  moment  the  Saints  were 
being  butchered  for  the  testimony  of  Jesus  and  the  word  of 
God,  that  testimony  was  boldly  and  undauntedly  borne 
throughout  all  parts  of  the  land.  Is  it  possible  to  look  upon 
facts  like  these,  and  still  hold  the  idea  that  these  poor  perse- 
cuted people  were  impostors,  or  under  a  delusion  ?  Reason- 
ing from  such  a  state  of  things,  and  the  results  flowing  from 
it,  we  cannot,  as  reasonable  beings,  hold  the  idea  a  single 
moment.  They  must  either  have  obtained  a  knowledge  of 
that  God  whom  to  know  is  life  eternal,  and  which  served  to 
support  their  sinking  spirits,  and  bear  them  up  under  all  they 
were  called  upon  to  suffer,  or  they  must  have  given  way  to 
the  popular  wrath,  and  thrown  up  their  imposture  as  a  thing 
altogether  unfit  to  succeed  in  the  world." 

We  have  now  brought  to  a  close  the  few  observations 
which  we  have  thought  it  necessary  to  make  upon  the  evi- 
dence by  which  the  present  believers  in  the  mission  of  Joseph 
Smith  support  his  claims  ;  as  well  as  upon  the  theology  which 
has  gradually  grown  out  of  the  remarkable  imposture,  of 
which  the  Book  of  Mormon  is  the  root.  We  have,  at  the 
same  time,  investigated  the  charges  of  vice  and  criminality 
brought  against  Smith  and  his  disciples.  We  have  also  con- 
sidered Mormonism  as  a  social  and  secular  institution,  which 
already  plays  a  very  note-worthy  part,  both  in  this  country 
and  in  America.  The  West  has  had  its  prophet  as  well  as 
the  East ;  and  whatever  may  have  been  the  original  charac- 
ter of  the  man,  the  sect  which  he  founded  has  arrived  at  such 


CONCLUSION.  399 

a  growth,  that  no  arguments  founded  upon  the  fraud  or  ab- 
surdity of  his  pretensions  will  be  of  the  slightest  avail  in  pre- 
venting the  development  of  Mormonism.  The  sect — estab- 
lished in  its  own  home — treats  all  adverse  criticism  with  the 
same  indifference  as  the  Mahometans  or  Buddhists  show  to 
all  who  impugn  the  truth  of  their  religions.  They  pity  the 
objectors — treat  their  arguments  either  as  folly  or  blasphemy, 
and  entrench  themselves  in  the  impregnable  fortress  of  their 
own  faith.  If  this  were  not  the  natural  course  of  things,  and 
strictly  in  accordance  with  all  experience,  there  would  at  this 
time  be  but  one  form  of  religion  in  the  world.  That  there 
are  many  forms  of  religion,  each  of  which  believes  itself,  and 
it  alone — to  be  the  true  one,  may  explain,  though  it  will  not 
justify,  the  faith  and  position  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints. 
Whatever  the  world  may  say  of  the  Mormons,  the  Mormons 
may  say  of  themselves,  that  they  have  succeeded  in  estab- 
lishing the  third  political  system  that  has  grown  out  of  Chris- 
tianity. The  Pope,  the  Glueen  of  England,  and  Brigham 
Young,  are  alike  heads  of  States  and  of  Churches  :  and,  what 
is  perhaps  as  remarkable  a  fact,  the  only  State  Church  in 
America  is  that  which  has  been  founded  by  Joseph  Smith. 

The  great  impetus  given  to  the  trade  and  population  of  the 
Pacific,  by  the  discovery  of  the  golden  treasures  of  Califor- 
nia,— a  discovery  partly  owing  to  the  Mormons — will  doubt- 
less lead  to  a  more  rapid  development  of  the  resources  of  the 
new  and  peculiar  community  of  Deseret  or  Utah,  than  might 
otherwise  have  been  anticipated.  Their  past  history  has  been 
a  singular  one.  Their  future  history  promises  to  be  even 
more  remarkable. 


^jy 


DATE  DUE 

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V 

GAYLORD 

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